Vietnam values ties with Portugal: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to strengthening its cooperative relations with Portugal, during a meeting on January 26 with President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, as part of his ongoing working visit to Portugal.

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue (left) and President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues. (Photo: VOV)

Both sides spoke highly of the positive developments in the Vietnam-Portugal partnership and cooperation in the fields of politics, foreign affairs and economy, with two-way trade reaching US$391 million in 2017, an increase of 15% compared to the previous year.

They agreed to enhance their bilateral relations via strengthening high-level meetings and the exchange of all-level delegations, in addition to furthering their cooperation across the spheres of sea-based economy, navigation, renewable energy and tourism.

Deputy PM Hue asked Portugal to promote its role as a member of the European Union (EU) in enhancing the trade cooperation and connectivity between ASEAN and the EU, as well as facilitating the EU’s official signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

For his part, President of the Portuguese parliament, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, recalled his special sentiments for Vietnam, stressing that Portugal’s younger generation is showing an increasing interest in Vietnam at present, regarding it as a vibrantly developing country and an attractive tourist destination.

He highly appreciated Vietnam’s role, as well as the coordination between the two countries, at international forums, whilst affirming his support for multilateral trade and the signing of the EVFTA.

On the occasion, Deputy PM Hue informed the host on the outcomes and Vietnam’s contributions at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) that took place in Hanoi recently.

Meeting with the Portuguese Minister of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security, José António Vieira Da Silva, Deputy PM Hue congratulated Portugal on its success in boosting economic growth, improving the people’s standard of living, reforming the labour market and reducing the unemployment rate.

The two sides shared the common view that ensuring social security is an important factor to promote stable and harmonious socio-economic development, whilst agreeing that the Portuguese ministry would cooperate and support the Vietnamese ministries and sectors concerned in researching and reforming social insurance and wage policies.

(Source: NDO)