Vietnam, Spain should boost wide-ranging cooperation: PM hinh anh 1NPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives Spanish Ambassador Alfonso Tena Garcia on December 8 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Spain should step up cooperation in various sectors, in particular trade, investment, renewable energy, infrastructure, tourism and agriculture, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

He made the statement during his reception for Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Alfonso Tena Garcia in Hanoi on December 8.

“Vietnam always provides foreign investors with favourable conditions,” he told the diplomat.

He agreed with the Ambassador’s proposal of boosting linkage in tourism, saying he will assign functional agencies to study specific cooperative programmes in the area.

He took the occasion to thank Spain for its ODA, noting that that capital source has been used efficiently.

Ambassador Alfonso Tena Garcia said the countries should ratchet up their wide-ranging cooperation up to their strategic partnership, especially organising more joint activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2017.

Spain backs the signing of the Vietnam-EU trade agreement, he said, adding that Spanish businesses are very keen on investing in infrastructure in Vietnam, especially the metro project in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as in tourism.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and Spain reached about 3 billion USD in 2015 and hit 2 billion USD in the first half of this year.-VNA
VNA