Vietnam and Israel signed an agreement to boost economic cooperation, particularly on science and technology.

The deal was reached during Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan’s visit to Israel from September 28 – October 2 to attend the first meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic and Technological Cooperation.

Quan, addressing the signing ceremony, said both sides would not only facilitate the exchange of scientists but also expand into human resources training and research.

Vietnam hoped to develop technology in the fields of agriculture and cyber security and safety with Israel, he said, and pledged maximum support to Israeli investors.

The country looked forward to launching talks on a free trade agreement with Israel as soon as possible, Quan added.

Israeli Economic Minister Naftali Bennett, for his part, expressed his hope for the value of bilateral trade to cross the threshold of 1 billion USD this year.

Agreeing with Bennett, the Ministry of the Economy’s Trade Attaché Tzafrir Assaf said Vietnam was becoming increasingly attractive for small and medium-sized Israeli high-tech companies.

Last year, Israel exported goods worth 702 million USD to Vietnam and spent 413.2 million USD on imports, mostly garments and footwear.

Its major earners are electronics, chemicals, fertilisers, paint and telecommunication products.

VNA/VNN