Vietnam - WB cooperation will focus on a number of key, strategic projects.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Ms. Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director in Vietnam - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Recently, at the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, the Prime Minister met with Mr. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank and recently, the two sides exchanged letters; thereby, discussing solutions to promote the partnership between Vietnam and the World Bank, a number of areas where the two sides need to strengthen cooperation in the coming time.

At the meeting with Ms. Carolyn Turk, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Government always considers the WB a good friend and a very important development partner; highly appreciates the WB's support and active contributions to Vietnam's socio -economic development since 1993 through policy consulting and financial support for ODA projects and preferential loans; and thanks the Director and her colleagues for their sharing and contributions to Vietnam.

The Prime Minister suggested that the WB have many methods and models for providing and managing flexible funding to meet Vietnam's diverse capital needs - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Prime Minister and the WB Country Director discussed specific issues, innovation in thinking, methodology, implementation methods, and reform of administrative procedures in a simpler and more convenient direction to promote and implement important, large-scale projects that can turn around the situation, change the status, lead, activate, and mobilize other capital sources; as well as thoroughly and effectively implement ongoing projects, avoiding spreading and prolonging them.

Regarding the cooperation orientation in the coming period, the Prime Minister suggested that the WB have many methods and models for providing and managing flexible funding to meet Vietnam's diverse capital needs; prioritize the implementation of large projects in developing strategic transport infrastructure such as the North-South high-speed railway, Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho railway, Hanoi-Hoa Lac High-Tech Park railway; renewable energy; smart agriculture, low carbon emissions; digital transformation; and climate change response in the Mekong Delta.

Currently, Vietnam still has a lot of room for new ODA loans because public debt, government debt, and state budget deficit are being well controlled by the Vietnamese Government, within the allowable threshold.

For her part, WB Country Director in Vietnam Carolyn Turk highly agreed with the Prime Minister on the orientation of implementing projects with focus and key points, achieving the set goals.

Ms. Carolyn Turk highly appreciated Vietnam's vision, development orientation and commitments, including in the field of climate change response and emission reduction; and shared her views on Vietnam's socio-economic development situation and issues that need attention in the coming time, such as the need to ensure energy in the context of a rapidly growing economy; exploiting the potential for selling carbon credits; the need for digital transformation; responding to climate change in the Mekong Delta; implementing the program of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice... She said that if the program of 1 million hectares of rice is successfully implemented, Vietnam will be a leading country in this field.

The WB Director in Vietnam also made specific proposals, including solutions to remove obstacles and difficulties in implementing projects, especially large-scale projects, and affirmed that he will continue to actively coordinate with Vietnamese agencies, accompanying Vietnam in socio-economic development, especially in the areas that the Prime Minister discussed.

After the leaders of ministries and branches responded to each issue raised by the WB, the Prime Minister agreed that the two sides would establish a working group to coordinate and review regulations and procedures to amend them in the direction of streamlining and harmonizing procedures between the two sides, ensuring the removal of obstacles, shortening implementation time, improving project efficiency, and if beyond authority, reporting to competent authorities for consideration and decision. The Prime Minister said that he had assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang to directly direct the removal of obstacles, promoting project implementation and disbursement of WB capital.

Source: https://dttg.baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/hop-tac-viet-nam-wb-se-tap-trung-cho-mot-so-du-an-trong-diem-chien-luoc-365068.html