President Tran Dai Quang on January 11 received the ambassadors of New Zealand, Timor Leste, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda and Slovenia, who presented their credentials.

At a reception for New Zealand Ambassador Wendy Irene Matthews, President Quang expressed his delight at the growing Vietnam-New Zealand ties since the two countries set up their comprehensive partnership in 2009 and issued a joint statement on comprehensive partnership towards strategic partnership in 2015.

He proposed that the two sides should define contents and roadmaps for their strategic partnership, while coordinating in the building of the Vietnam-New Zealand action programme for the new period and organise the sixth session of the Joint Committee for Economic and Trade soon.

He said he hopes the ambassador will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between ministries, sectors, localities and businesses of both sides to raise two-way trade to 1.7 billion USD in 2020.

The State leader also suggested that the New Zealand will support Vietnamese firms in increasing export products to the country, especially farm produce and apparel, while continue assisting Vietnam in sustainable development, climate change response and natural disaster risk management.

Vietnam, as the chair of the APEC Year 2017, hopes for continued cooperation from New Zealand to the success of the event, he said. The President took the occasion to invite New Zealand Prime Minister to visit Vietnam to attend the APEC Summit Week 2017.

On her part, Ambassador Matthews highlighted the high potential for Vietnam and New Zealand to lift up their ties to strategic partnership as they share firm foundation of sound cooperation in politics, economics and defence.

She affirmed that New Zealand hopes to foster collaboration with Vietnam in multilateral frameworks such as the RCEP and TPP.

Welcoming Timor Leste Pascoela Barreto dos Santos, President Quang stated that Vietnam always attaches much importance to partnership with Timor Leste and wishes to further the ties both bilaterally and multilaterally.

He held that a number of agreements signed between the two countries have paved the way for expanding economic and trade relations. The President suggested Ambassador Santos help step up exchanges of delegations at all levels and through all channels of State, parliament, Government and people-to-people contacts, thus deepening mutual trust and understanding.

He also urged both sides to finalise internal procedures to put the bilateral trade deal into operation, while speeding up the bilateral investment protection agreement and effectively implement the memorandum of understanding on rice trade for the 2015-2017 period.

The State leader said he hopes Timor Leste to continue facilitating Viettel Group’s operation, affirming that Vietnam always welcomes and backs Timor Leste businesses.

The Timor Leste diplomat stated that her country treasures ties with Vietnam and is keen on boosting people-to-people relations with the country. Timor Leste encourage Vietnamese firms, especially those in the telecommunication area, to invest in the country, she said, pledging to coordinate with Vietnamese authorities to create a breakthrough in bilateral partnership, especially in economy, trade and investment.

At a meeting with Ambassador of Cote d’Ivoire Dosso Adama, President Tran Dai Quang lauded the African country’s cooperation with Vietnam at international forums, expressing his hope that Cote d’Ivoire will support Vietnamese Ambassador and President’s Special Envoy Pham Sanh Chau to run for the post of UNESCO Director General for the 2017-2021 period as well as Vietnam’s candidacy for non-permanent membership at the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021.

He underlined the important role of Cote d’Ivoire as the second largest trade partner of Vietnam in Africa with large consumption of Vietnamese cashew and rice. He proposed that Cote d’Ivoire will create conditions for Vietnam to directly export rice to the market, urging the negotiations for a number of important bilateral deals.

Ambassador Dosso Adama asserted that there is room for both sides to further promote their cooperation, vowing to work hard to make the ties more fruitful. He added that his country is interested in importing more goods from Vietnam.

Congratulated Rwanda Ambassador Charles Kayonga on his new position, President Quang affirmed that Vietnam highly values the traditional friendship with African friends, including Rwanda, especially in health care, education and agriculture.

Ambassador Kayonga said he hopes Vietnam will share with Rwanda its development experience, adding that his country welcomes Vietnamese businesses to invest in the country.

At a reception for Slovenian Ambassador Janez Premoze, the State leader underlined significance of partnership with Slovenia, expressing his pleasure at the bilateral trade ties.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is forming a Vietnam Subcommittee under the Vietnam-Slovenia Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic Cooperation, he revealed, asking the two sides to hold the first session of the committee in the first half of 2017 to seek ways to bolster trade and investment affiliation.

President Quang also proposed that the two countries step up negotiations for the double taxation avoidance agreement and an agreement on recognising qualification and certificates of each other, while asking for Slovenia’s contributions to the signing of the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement and the EU’s recognition of Vietnam’s market economy.

Ambassador Janez Premoze stated that Slovenia is interested in cooperating with Vietnam in all fields and frameworks.

VNA