Premium
The state of bilateral relations and the importance of capitalizing on the potential of Romanian-Vietnamese cooperation were highlighted on Friday by Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu in a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
According to a MAE press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, the two dignitaries reviewed the "very good" Romanian-Vietnamese relations, which are based on "a long friendship," while the two countries celebrate 71 years of diplomatic relations in 2021, on which occasion they highlighted the frequency and quality of the bilateral dialogue, sectoral cooperation, economic exchanges and good cooperation in international forums, and expressed, at the same time, their interest in deepening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Thus, Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the dynamic political dialogue in recent years, including in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, in 2019.
Also, the Romanian Foreign Minister accepted the invitation addressed by his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Vietnam for a new round of political-diplomatic consultations at this level.
Bogdan Aurescu noted the increasing trend of bilateral trade this year and proposed to further strengthen it, an aspect agreed by his counterpart, who proposed the reactivation of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, with an emphasis on its economic component.
At the same time, Minister Aurescu requested the Vietnamese side to facilitate a wider access of Romanian pharmaceutical products on the Vietnamese market, respectively the certification of agricultural products of animal origin in Romania, measures likely to contribute to the intensification of bilateral trade.
Further on, Aurescu encouraged the Vietnamese side's interest in using the port of Constanta as a gateway for Vietnamese products to the EU market.
"In general, he underlined the opportunity represented for bilateral economic relations by the entry into force of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, signed during Romania's presidency of the EU Council. Cooperation in the field of education was also addressed. Vietnamese graduates of Romanian-speaking educational institutions who hold relevant positions in the Vietnamese administration, such as the current Vietnamese Prime Minister, reiterated Romania's readiness to receive young Vietnamese students in fields of interest for the development of this country," the statement said.
The two ministers also referred to the contribution of the Vietnamese workforce in Romania, highlighting the concern of the Romanian side to ensure the working conditions provided by the legislation in force.
The Vietnamese Minister thanked the Romanian Minister for all the support shown by Romania in the context of COVID-19, while referring to the recent donation of 300,000 vaccines, Agerpres.ro informs.
Both sides expressed interest in the prospects for multilateral cooperation, including at the UN and in ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), highlighting the very good interaction between the two states, the statement said.
