Vietnam and the Netherlands are expected to further their energy cooperation after a series of agreements were signed during Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
At a Vietnam-Netherlands energy, oil and gas cooperation forum in The Hague on Sept. 29, the two sides inked an MoU on energy cooperation along with a cooperative agreement on oil and gas cooperation between Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the Netherland’s Royal Dutch Shell Group.
A letter of intent between PetroVietnam and companies and organisations which join the Automobile Engineering Training Institute (AETI) programme on cooperation in training, scientific research and technological transfer, and an MoU on training cooperation between the Vietnam University of Oil and Gas and the Delft University of Technology were also signed.
Speaking at the forum, PM Dung stressed that Vietnam considers energy a key economic sector which contributes to realising the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and shortens the national industrialisation and modernisation process.
He said that Vietnam ’s total energy demand for commercial purposes is forecast to increase by over 7 percent each year in the 2010-2025 period.
To meet the energy demand for the country’s economic development and ensure national energy security in the context of fluctuating oil and gas prices, the Vietnamese Government is actively implementing measures to diversify energy resources and giving priority to developing renewable energy, liquefied natural gas-fuelled power and atomic energy, he added.
On the same day, PM Dung received the leaders of the Royal Dutch Shell Group and Heineken Group, affirming that the Vietnamese Government will support and create favourable conditions for the two groups to continue doing business in the country.
According to the PM, during 20 years of operations in Vietnam , Shell has made great contributions to Vietnam ’s oil and gas sector, helping meet the country’s increasing energy demand.
He suggested the group attach importance to developing new, safe and environmentally friendly energy resources as it is a focus of the Vietnamese Government’s attention to ensure the country’s sustainable growth.
Dung also spoke highly of Heineken’s success in Vietnam and its contributions to social activities in the country over the past two decades, suggesting the group pay more attention to environmental protection in order to maintain its position as one of the leading businesses in Vietnam .
On the same day, the Vietnamese PM met with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and senior officials of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion and visited the Rijk Zwaan vegetable seed company./.
