Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van den Bossche (Photo: VNA) He recalled that 50 years ago, Belgium and its neighbouring Europeannations, including Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy, quickly recognised the young Democratic Republic of Vietnam, stressing that they supported the return of peace and stability to a country heavily damaged by decade-long wars.
Several Belgium-Vietnam associations were established atthat time to help the Southeast Asian country seek balances in theinternational arena, he said, noting that such associations are still existing today.
The ambassador said in the early stage of the bilateral ties, priority was given to Vietnam's national development, so the two countries focused their cooperation on building a self-reliant agriculture that produces added values.
In that spirit, irrigation and climate change projects havebeen rolled out in Vietnam’s central localities like Ha Tinh, Ninh Thuan andBinh Thuan, according to the ambassador.
Besides, academic cooperation has opened up new directions, for example aquaculture, Bossche continued.
He went on to say that Belgium has witnessed Vietnam’s international integration following its Doi moi (Renewal), stressing that door opening has enabled the country to record historiceconomic growth and gain the middle-income status.
Therefore, Belgium decided in 2018 to change its approach to the bilateral relations, from development cooperation to mutualeconomic and financial support, he said.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties, the ambassador said a celebration logo, selectedfrom an online contest, has been issued on this occasion.
There will be many official visits with the engagementof businesses in the time ahead, he said, citing as example a trip by Minister-Presidentof the Government of Flanders Jan Jambon scheduled for September, and the secondtrip by a delegation of Belgian firms, led by Minister of Economy of WalloniaWilly Borsus.
Notably, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are scheduledto pay a State visit to Vietnam next year, he said.
Regarding the agreement on the bilateral strategic partnershipin agriculture reached in 2018, the diplomat said its outcomesremain limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the past years have exposed the realchallenges to Vietnam, he said, stressing the need to better optimise thecountry’s great potential towards the final goal of a linkage chain with high added value.
Along with investing in maritime logistics likethe DEEP C Service Complex in the northern port city of Hai Phong, Belgium’sbiggest project in Vietnam, Belgium plans to launch more projects in the connectivitychain in farming and husbandry, such as a cold storage chain in the Mekong Delta which is expected to greatly benefit the agricultural community.
Belgium’s agricultural technology would be useful in helping Vietnam to raise productivity and profits, he said.
Bossche emphasised that cooperation and mutual trustshould be the foundation of business, and attention should be paid to socialwelfare and community development. This approach has been applied in cocoaproduction in Vietnam with the participation of Belgian enterprises.
Apart from agriculture, he suggested the twocountries step up cooperation in green energy and climate change response, pointing toadvantages for the collaboration such as new technologies and the EU’s GlobalGateway Initiative. Besides, Belgium is also a logistics hub and a maritime gateway to Europe, while its pharmaceutical industry supplies vaccines and essential medicines to the world.
The ambassador said the upcoming visits will offeropportunities for Belgium to learn about Vietnam’s needs.
Mentioning the French Community of Belgium(Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles), he said its programme this year featuresdiverse activities such as film screening and training for Vietnamesejournalists./.
VNA
