Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has suggested Ireland prompt the European Union (EU) to soon sign and ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UVFTA) and recognise Vietnam’s market economy.

The delegation visits a cow farm in Cork

Deputy PM Dung made the suggestion during his meeting with Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan in Dublin on April 21, where he affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its cooperative ties with Ireland.

The Deputy PM also called on Ireland to provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students and create favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese in Ireland to better integrate into the host society.

For his part, Minister Flanagan agreed to work closely with Vietnam in implementing agreements signed during the Vietnam visit by Irish President Michael D. Higgins in 2016, and maintaining delegation exchanges, and all-level meetings to consolidate the friendship and multi-lateral cooperation between the two nations, with focus on economic-trade relations, development cooperation, agriculture-food, and education-training.

He pledged to boost bilateral economic cooperation in the coming time, facilitate and encouraging the two nations’ enterprises to invest and transfer technology, particularly in the sectors with strong potential, such as renewable energy, high-quality agriculture, food industry, aviation, and information and communication technology.

The two ministers agreed to work closely to identify priorities for cooperation in the national strategy between the two nations for 2017-2020, with Ireland’s commitment to assist Vietnam in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and climate change adaption.

They also consented to implement effectively agreements on child adoption and facilitating the flow of products into each other’s market.

During his meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed, Deputy PM Dung spoke highly of Ireland’s agricultural achievements and urged Ireland to share experience and support Vietnam in hi-tech agricultural development while strengthening cooperation in forestry, environment and response to climate change.

He also called on Ireland to facilitate access to its market for Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery products, and to the European market through the nation.

For his part, Minister Creed shared Ireland’s experience in applying advanced technology in traditional farming, making it one of the most prosperous nations in Europe.

The Government of Ireland is willing to boost cooperation with Vietnam in diary, pharmaceuticals, meat processing, he said, adding that Ireland also supports promoting the EU-Vietnam relations, thus further facilitating trade and investment ties between the two nations.

He agreed to cooperate with Vietnam in implementing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture, signed in 2014, with focus on four key areas, namely providing assistance for training managers of modern agriculture, sharing experience in organic agriculture development, developing safe agricultural production management system and cow farming.

The two ministers agreed to promote delegation exchanges, organise workshops and training courses for Vietnam, share advanced technology and scientific application in safe agro-forestry-fishery production models.

During the visit, the Vietnamese delegation made field trips to several high-quality cow farms in Cork province to learn about the model of clean, high-quality and environmentally-friendly agricultural production, and worked with a number of Irish enterprises in trade, education-training, and agriculture.

Deputy PM affirms Vietnam’s wish to beef up ties with Ireland

The Vietnamese Government always treasures and wants to strengthen its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Ireland, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung told Irish President Michael D. Higgins during a meeting in Dublin on April 21.

Deputy PM Dung thanked Ireland for considering Vietnam as a prioritised partner in its development cooperation policy, saying that Ireland-funded projects have been implemented effectively, contributing greatly to the country’s socio-economic development and international integration.

He congratulated the Irish Government and people on their achievements as well as their success in bringing Ireland to 7th position in the world’s top competitive and creative countries in 2016.

For his part, President Higgins congratulated Vietnam on its successes in socio-economic development and international integration and applauded the strong growth of friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, especially in politics-diplomacy, trade-investment, development cooperation, agriculture-food, education-training and culture.

The two-way trade value in 2016 reached 1.14 billion USD, tripling the figure of 2015, he noted.

While expressing his delight at the prompt implementation of agreements signed during his visit to Vietnam last year, President Higgins said Ireland desires to foster cooperative relations with Vietnam, which has an increasingly important role and position in the Asia-Pacific region.

Both host and guest showed their hopes for stronger bilateral cooperation in the future, especially in the fields where Vietnam and Ireland hold potential such as energy, agriculture-food, education-training and science-technology.

They agreed to boost cultural and art exchanges and work together closely in deploying cooperation priorities in their joint national strategy for the 2017-2020 period, focusing on supporting Vietnam in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, response to climate change, implementation of the UN sustainable development goals, settlement of war aftermaths and joining UN peacekeeping operations.

The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern. They consented to the need to maintain peace, stability, cooperation, development,  and maritime security and safety, and settle disputes through negotiations on the basis of respect for international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).

VNA