VN, Belgium enjoy positive development of ties

Vietnamese Permanent Deputy FM Bui Thanh Son

Deputy FM praised the Belgian Government for overcoming the negative impacts of the global economic-financial crisis and bouncing back.  

Secretary General Dirk Achten praised Viet Nam’s socio-economic achievements and congratulated the country for successful hosting of APEC 2017.

The two sides noted with joy the active, diverse and pragmatic development of the diplomatic ties, friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Belgium over the past time, which, they said, spread across various sectors at different levels. 

The Belgium affirmed its support for the signing and ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement in 2018, saying the early implementation of the deal would bring tangible benefits to the EU and its member countries. 

In terms of economic collaboration, they consented to boost trade ties and create conditions for businesses of the two countries to join hands in such priority areas as sea transport, logistics, green technology, agriculture, renewable energy and health care. 

Both sides will maintain meetings of the joint committee on economic cooperation in order to orient the economic links and improve the efficiency of coordination between the two countries’ cooperation mechanisms, as well as regional and community collaboration. 

At the same time, the two sides will also step up partnerships in culture and education, looking towards training high-quality human resources. 

Regarding cooperation and security in Asia-Pacific, they stressed the importance of peace, stability, security, aviation and navigation freedom and safety in the East Sea, and the peaceful settlement of disputes without use of force or threat to use force, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and on the basis of respect for legal and diplomatic processes. 

They will partner with each other to organize cultural and economic activities marking the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (1973-2018) in each country. 

During his stay in Viet Nam, Dirk Achten co-chaired the fourth meeting of the Viet Nam-Belgium joint committee on economic cooperation, visited Viet Nam’s peace-keeping centre and the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, and attended a workshop on 40-year agricultural cooperation between Viet Nam and Belgium./.

By Kim Anh