Seize the opportunity to turn Romania into Vietnam's gateway to Europe

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - "Both sides need to seize the opportunity to promote trade cooperation, turning Romania into Vietnam's gateway to Europe," Prime Minister Ion Marcel Ciolacu said during talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh .

The heads of government of Vietnam and Romania held talks on the morning of January 22nd (local time), following the welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Romania. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked Romania for the warm, respectful, and thoughtful reception given to the Vietnamese delegation. He also emphasized that Vietnam will never forget Romania's valuable support in its struggle for independence and national development over the past 75 years, especially its assistance in training more than 4,000 students and researchers – individuals who have made significant contributions to Vietnam and bilateral relations in various capacities.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu (Photo: Doan Bac).

During the talks, the heads of government of the two countries exchanged views on major directions and specific measures to promote the traditional friendly cooperation between the two countries to a new level. Regarding political and diplomatic cooperation, both sides agreed to strengthen contacts and exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level, through all channels: Party, State, Government, Parliament, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation between localities. This direction aims to further enhance political trust and mutual understanding, serving as a foundation for promoting and expanding bilateral cooperation in all fields. Regarding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the two Prime Ministers affirmed that this is an important pillar in bilateral relations and therefore needs to be promoted to match the level of political relations.

The talks between the Romanian Prime Minister and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh took place after the official welcoming ceremony at Victoria Palace (Photo: Doan Bac).

Furthermore, the two countries need to leverage existing cooperation mechanisms and encourage businesses from both countries to continue fully and effectively implementing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam is ready to play a gateway role for Romanian goods to access the Vietnamese and ASEAN markets. Once again, the Vietnamese government leaders thanked Romania for strongly promoting the signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and for being one of the first EU countries to ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement ( EVIPA). In this spirit, the Prime Minister requested Romania to continue its efforts to encourage the remaining EU countries to ratify the EVIPA and for the European Commission (EC) to lift the "yellow card" imposed on Vietnamese seafood. Prime Minister Ion Marcel Ciolacu assessed Vietnam as one of Romania's most promising markets in the Asia- Pacific region. He stated that an increasing number of Romanian businesses are interested in expanding their investments and operations in Vietnam. The Romanian Prime Minister suggested that both sides should seize the opportunity to boost cooperation in trade, logistics, and tourism, and to make Romania a gateway to Europe for Vietnam, especially as the country is about to join the Schengen Area in March.

Following the conclusion of their talks, the leaders of the Vietnamese and Romanian governments held a press briefing (Photo: Hong Phong).

The two Prime Ministers also agreed to strengthen effective cooperation in traditional areas such as education and training, science and technology, security and defense, culture, sports and tourism, labor, health and pharmaceuticals; while promoting expanded cooperation in new areas such as information technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, and circular economy. Regarding international issues, the two leaders affirmed the importance of resolving disputes peacefully , without the use or threat of force, in accordance with international law.

Vietnam and Romania Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation. Following the talks, the two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of 19 cooperation documents between ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries in the fields of economics, culture, labor, and education and training. Among these, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Romanian Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity on cooperation in the fields of labor and social security.

Leaders of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity of Romania exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labour and social security (Photo: Duong Giang).

The memorandum aims to promote and develop cooperation in the fields of labor and social security. Some areas of cooperation agreed upon by both sides include: labor policies and laws; activities related to proactive employment policies for vulnerable groups in the labor market; social protection and assistance for vulnerable groups; and policies for the inclusion of persons with disabilities, ensuring an environment where persons with disabilities have unrestricted access to independent living. In addition, the Ministries of Labor of Vietnam and Romania also aim to cooperate on labor migration policies, focusing on improving the skills of workers and reducing illegal labor practices.

Hoai Thu (From Bucharest, Romania)

Dantri.com.vn

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