Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called on Argentine companies to boost their investment and business in Vietnam and stressed facilitation for them.

PM Dung made the call at a meeting with leading Argentine businesses in Buenos Aires on April 16 during his current visit to the country aimed at promoting multi-faceted cooperation, particularly in economy and trade, between the two countries.

The PM expressed his pleasure with increasing bilateral cooperation in many areas, especially trade and investment. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Argentina reached about 650 million USD in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 40 percent. In the first quarter of this year, the figure was over 200 million USD, five times higher than the same period last year.

The two countries are accelerating several major investment projects, including those with IMPSA with a total capital of about 3 billion USD.

He briefed the Argentine business circle on Vietnam ’s socio-economic achievements, stressing the government’s strategic measures which paved the way for rapid and sustainable growth in the coming time.

Vietnam has unceasingly exerted efforts to improve its investment climate although the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) listed Vietnam among 15 countries leading in terms of investment environment and attractive destinations for FDI in 2010, PM Dung said.

At the meeting, Argentine business representatives affirmed their desire to enhance investment in Vietnam, particularly in areas of their strengths such as energy, oil and gas, high-tech, infrastructure construction, husbandry, farm produce processing, agriculture, apparel, footwear, electrics and electronic appliances.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is scheduled to hold talks with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner latter in the day.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation are on an official visit to the second largest country in South America at the invitation of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner from April 15-17.

The visit is aimed to reflect Vietnam ’s determination to strengthen cooperative relations with Latin America and reinforce politic ties with Argentina , contributing to promoting multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, especially in economics and trade./.