Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son received the European Union Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.

VTV.vn - High Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said that the EU always supports, accompanies and wishes Vietnam to develop quickly and sustainably, achieving the set goals.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son received the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic - Photo: VGP

On September 26, at the Government headquarters, on behalf of the Prime Minister , Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son received the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic and the EU delegation who are visiting and working in Vietnam.

Welcoming EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and his delegation to visit and work in Vietnam on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the EU and the 5th anniversary of the implementation of the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son believes that the working trip will contribute to further promoting the Vietnam - EU relationship in general and in the economic and trade fields in particular.

Affirming that the EU is an important partner in Vietnam's foreign policy, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at the positive results achieved in cooperation between the two sides in many fields in recent times. In particular, the two sides have established and effectively implemented 8 regular dialogue mechanisms, many cooperation agreements and close coordination at multilateral forums; the frequency of delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels has been increased on all channels. Cooperation in the fields of economics, trade, investment, science - technology, defense - security, environment - climate, education and training, culture and tourism, development cooperation, etc. has achieved many substantive results.

Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the EU is an important partner in Vietnam's foreign policy - Photo: VGP

Informing the High Commissioner about the situation, orientations and development goals of Vietnam, the Deputy Prime Minister said that Vietnam has just celebrated the 50th anniversary of national reunification, the 80th anniversary of independence and is summarizing the 40 years of renovation, preparing to organize the 14th National Congress of the Party. Currently, the scale of Vietnam's economy ranks 32nd in the world; the scale of trade is in the top 20 in the world.

Vietnam has issued and implemented many strategic policies and decisions to create a turning point to "turn the situation around and change the state", striving to become a developing country with modern industry and high average income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045.

Welcoming the two sides' active discussions on upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son suggested that the EU continue to enhance political trust through delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones, and that the EU President soon visit Vietnam.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked the remaining EU member countries to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and continue to effectively implement the EVFTA; and soon remove the "IUU Yellow Card" for Vietnamese seafood products.

The two sides agreed to set up a joint working group to handle issues of mutual concern - Photo: VGP

Along with that, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the EU continue to provide practical support for the process of building the ASEAN Community, more closely linking ASEAN-EU action plans with ASEAN cooperation strategies; continue to have a strong voice, supporting the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to ensuring peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region.

EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic thanked Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son for taking the time to receive the delegation; he said that he had just had a very effective working session with Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien. The two sides reached many consensuses on promoting trade, especially on more effectively exploiting the EVFTA Agreement that the two sides have signed.

Appreciating Vietnam's innovation and development process, High Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said that the EU always supports, accompanies and wishes Vietnam to develop quickly and sustainably, achieving the set goals; and asked Vietnam to continue reforming and simplifying administrative procedures, further promoting EU investment in Vietnam.

Proposing that the two sides establish a specialized working group to handle difficulties in cooperation between the two sides, including removing the IUU Yellow Card; at the same time, the two sides need to build a cooperation strategy to fully exploit the potential and strengths of each side such as science, technology, semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, 5G, aviation, logistics, etc., EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic invited a representative of the Vietnamese Government to attend the EU's "Global Gateway Initiative" to be held in France in the near future.

Agreeing to set up a joint working group to address issues of mutual concern, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son said the Government will direct relevant agencies of Vietnam to urgently coordinate with relevant agencies of the EU to thoroughly address issues of mutual concern; requesting the EU to pay attention to promoting activities within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), helping Vietnam promptly meet its commitments to bring net zero emissions by 2050 and effectively implement JETP projects.

Emphasizing that the Vietnamese Government is committed to improving preferential policies, protecting intellectual property and training high-quality human resources to attract high-value-added technology projects, the Deputy Prime Minister wishes to cooperate with the EU through research cooperation, technology transfer and start-up support in the fields of semiconductor industry, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, 5G, aviation and high-tech development... in the spirit of "harmonized benefits and shared risks".

On behalf of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son respectfully invited EU leaders to attend the signing ceremony of the Hanoi Convention on Cybercrime, which will take place next October.

Source: https://vtv.vn/pho-thu-tuong-bui-thanh-son-tiep-cao-uy-thuong-mai-va-an-ninh-kinh-te-lien-minh-chau-au-100250926195356041.htm