President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and his Greek counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) -President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Greek counterpart KaterinaSakellaropoulou shared delight at the growth of Vietnam-Greece ties and agreedon measures to promote the relations during their talks in Hanoi on May 16.
PresidentSakellaropoulou lauded the important achievements that Vietnam has made duringits struggle for independence and present process of socio-economic development. Sheaffirmed that Greece highly valued the increasingly important role of Vietnam inthe region and the world, and hoped to foster cooperation with Vietnam in allfields.
The two leaders agreedthat the two sides should increase meetings and exchange of delegations at alllevels among ministries, sectors and localities as well as the two businesscommunities. They assigned the two ministries of foreign affairs to review and speed upsolutions to promote the bilateral partnership.
President Phuc took this occasion to thank Greece for providing COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam.
Both sides showeddelight that despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, trade between the two countries still increasedto 447 million USD in 2021, up 33 percent year on year, and two times higherthan the 15 percent growth in Vietnam-EU trade.
The Presidents agreedto promote the win-win partnership, while encouraging and creating favourableconditions for businesses from both nations to strengthen exchanges, focusing onareas of Vietnam’s demand and Greece's strengths such as shipbuilding, maritimelogistics, energy and agriculture. In order to create a framework for bilateraleconomic cooperation, they agreed to increase negotiations for a double taxavoidance agreement and another on maritime transport.
They pledged to increasecollaboration in other fields such as defence, security, culture, education,sports, tourism and people-to-people exchange. President Phuc thanked Greek leaders and authorised agencies to create favourable conditions for theVietnamese community to live, work and study in the country.
Vietnam and Greece agreedto continue to foster collaboration at international and regional forums,especially in the settlement of non-traditional issues such as pandemics andclimate change within the mechanisms of the United Nations, the Asia-EuropeMeeting, and ASEAN-EU Cooperation.
President Sakellaropoulousaid Greece supports Vietnam in strengthening its partnership and comprehensive cooperation withthe EU and further optimise the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), thus helping to enhance trade ties between Vietnam and Greece.
President Phuc highlyvalued Greece’s ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Promotion Agreement (EVIPA),and suggested that Greece supports and calls for the removal of the EU’s “yellowcard” warning against Vietnamese seafood.
The two leaders alsodiscussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern,including the maintaining of peace, stability, security, safetyand freedom of navigation and aviation on the foundation of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Following the talks, thetwo Presidents met the press to inform them on the major outcomes of their talks,highlighting that the two sides agreed to coordinate closely to lift bilateralties to a new height, while deepening cooperation in all fields and promotetheir supplementary strengths, and foster economic partnership and workingtogether to make positive contributions to peace, stability, cooperation anddevelopment in the region and the world./.
