The third High-level Dialogue on ASEAN-Italy Economic Relations is scheduled to be held in Hanoi on June 5-6, 2019.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung poses a photo with former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his entourage

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung met with former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta on December 18 to discuss plans for organising the event.

According to Enrico Letta, the dialogue was held for the first time in Jakarta, Indonesia in May 2017, with the participation of 250 major businesses of ASEAN and Italy. The second edition took place in Singapore in April 2018, drawing 300 enterprises.

He affirmed the selection of Hanoi as the host of the dialogue reflects the close ties between Vietnam and Italy. The event is also a new start for the relationship between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) as it will see the presence of senior representatives from the bloc, he added.

Through the event, Italy will affirm its role as a strategic gateway for Vietnam to the EU and Vietnam will be a gateway for Italy to the ASEAN region, he noted.

For his part, Chung said the third High-level Dialogue on ASEAN-Italy Economic Relations is an important economic-political event to be held in Hanoi next year. The hosting of the event will open up opportunities for businesses of the capital city and Vietnam in general to better their understanding of the Italian market.

He proposed that on the occasion, the two sides should organise a Vietnam-Italy cultural and art exchange to introduce the special cultural features of both countries to Hanoians as well as Vietnamese and foreign tourists.

Hanoi will closely coordinate with the Italian Embassy in Vietnam to make the event successful, he stressed.-VNA