President Vo Van Thuong (R) receives outgoing Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Pilar Méndez Jiménez. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong appreciated outgoing SpanishAmbassador to Vietnam Pilar Méndez Jiménez's contributions to Vietnam-Spain strategic partnership during her tenure in Vietnam at a reception in Hanoi on December 11.
Congratulating Spainon its successful role as the rotating President of the Council of EuropeanUnion (EU) in the last half of this year, Thuong said that Spain has become Vietnam's eighth largest tradepartner in the EU while Vietnam is the largest ASEAN trade partner of theEuropean country.
The President suggested that in the coming time, both countriesshould continue stepping up all-level exchanges and strengthening political trustas a foundation for bilateral cooperation.
Both sides need to further advance frameworks of bilateralcooperation, especially the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), to strengthen the relationship betweenthe two countries, he said, hoping for more people-to-people and culturalexchanges to deepen bilateral ties.
As the two countries are looking toward the 15th anniversary of strategic partnership, he wished that both sides would holdpractical activities to deepen their relationship.
MéndezJiménez,for her part, affirmed that Spain values cooperation with Vietnam and considersit a priority in the development of their cooperation.
She said many large Spanish companies investing in Vietnam have reaped success, particularly in renewable energy, wind and solar power, anddigitisation – all of which are important sectors in the development strategiesof both sides.
The guest expressed her belief that the EVFTA, the EVIPA, and therecently-established Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam will lay a solidfoundation to push forward cooperation between the two countries./.
