Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) receives President of the Belgian Senate Stéphanie D'Hose in Hanoi on August 22. (Photo: VNA) Son welcomed the Belgian leader’s visit which is taking place at a time when Vietnam and Belgium are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and five years since the two countries established a strategic partnership in agriculture, saying that it is an important milestone in Vietnam-Belgium relations.
The minister affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and wants to enhance its comprehensive cooperation with the EU, including Belgium.
For her part, D’Hose underlined that Belgium always attaches great importance to its friendship and cooperation with Vietnam, and highly evaluated the socio-economic development achievements that Vietnam has gained after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the country’s role and position in the region and the world.
The two sides shared delight at the positive growth in cooperation between the two countries and the two legislatures in particular over the past years. They agreed that, in order to strengthen political trust, the two sides should increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones via the State, Government, parliament and people-to-people exchange channels.
Son held that economic cooperation is an important pillar in the Vietnam-Belgium relationship, emphasising that there is plenty of room for the two sides to promote their economic, trade and investment partnership. He hoped that the two sides will optimise opportunities from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
The minister proposed Belgium soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to create a favourable investment environment for businesses of the two nations. He also suggested Belgium prompt the European Commission (EC) to early remove its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood to ensure livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and meet the demand of European consumers.
D’Hose said that the Belgian Federal Parliament is actively working to ratify the EVIPA before the end of this tenure. She recognised Vietnam’s efforts in preventing and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
Belgium is ready to support Vietnam in energy transition, agricultural development, climate change response, and overcoming consequences of dioxin, the Senate President said.
The two sides concurred to facilitate the travel of people of the two countries to promote people-to-people exchanges and beef up economic, trade and investment ties, while continuing to work closely together at multilateral and international forums. The two sides pledged to coordinate closely at the UN Human Rights Council in the 2023-2025 tenure, contributing to the common affairs in the direction of improving efficiency, transparency, objectivity and balance in the spirit of dialogue, cooperation, equality and mutual respect./.
VNA
