Accordingly, the two sides will increase the exchange of all-level delegations and meetings, materialise the action plan on implementing the bilateral strategic partnership for 2017-2018, and maintain exchanges between the two countries’ Parties and citizens.

They agreed to prioritise economic cooperation and raise bilateral trade to 6 billion USD during the 2017-2018 period.

Both will work to increase Italy's investment in Vietnam while creating optimal conditions for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to access the Italian market.

The two leaders consented to put forth new orientations for development cooperation in accordance with the bilateral strategic partnership, focusing on vocational training, environmental protection, water resources management and flood forecast.

Collaboration in culture, education-training and tourism will be enhanced while scientific-technological affiliation will receive priority in the coming time.

The Italian President pledged to continue assisting Vietnam in relic site preservation and offer more scholarships to Vietnamese students.

The Presidents agreed to work with each other to soon open a direct air route between the two countries and share experience in implementing public-private partnership (PPP) projects in logistics, shipbuilding, railways and infrastructure.

In the sphere of national defence and security, they will increase the exchange of information and experience in crime combat, and beef up affiliation in training, relief operations, bomb and mine clearance, defence industry, and joining UN peace-keeping missions.

In the same vein, Vietnam and Italy will strengthen their coordination at multilateral forums like the UN, ASEAN, EU, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and UNESCO.

Host and guest promised to support each other in a bid to promote the relations between Italy and Asia-Pacific as well as between Vietnam and the EU, with heed paid to projects, programmes and initiatives on climate change response in combination with green growth.

The leaders highlighted the significance of maintaining peace, stability, and navigation and aviation safety and freedom.

They held that disputes in the East Sea should be addressed by peaceful measures on the basis of respecting international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully realising the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and soon reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

President Quang stated that Vietnam always attaches importance to the friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation with Italy.

For his part, President Sergio Mattarella described President’s Quang visit as a milestone of the bilateral strategic partnership which was set up in 2013.

Following their talks, the two leaders co-chaired a press conference to announce outcomes of their talks.

On November 21 (Italian time), President Quang visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy.

His State-level visit to Italy lasts from November 21-24.
Vietnam and Italy established diplomatic ties on March 23, 1973.

Italy was the first Western European nation to back the enhancement of cooperation between Vietnam and the EU at major international forums, as well as the normalisation of relations between Vietnam and international financial, trade and monetary organisations in the 1990s.

Trade between the two countries has increased years by years, reaching 4.3 billion USD in 2015. Italy ranks 31 out of 112 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 77 projects valued at 360 million USD, mostly in processing, manufacturing, leather and footwear, construction, lavatory equipment and steel processing.

The Italian Government has listed Vietnam as one of ten newly-emerging markets to prioritise trade and investment ties with. The two countries also set up a joint committee on economic cooperation.

Italy began providing official development assistance for Vietnam in the 1990s in areas like water supply and sewage, environmental protection, human resources development, health care and institution building.

President meets with Italian parliament’s leaders

President Tran Dai Quang and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Bonldrini 

President Tran Dai Quang had separate meetings with leaders of the Italian Parliament - President of the Senate Pietro Grasso and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Bonldrini, in Rome on November 22 (local time).

The two Italian leaders welcomed the current visit to Italy by President Tran Dai Quang and affirmed Italy treasures and wants to deepen the strategic partnership with Vietnam, including cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments and people-to-people exchange.

The two sides agreed that Vietnam and Italy need to enhance coordination in politics, economics, culture, education-training, science-technology, and defence-security as there are huge potential for bilateral cooperation. 

They discussed international issues in each region, affirming the necessity to increase cooperation at multilateral forums like the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), as well as at Inter-Parliamentary Union forums, Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) conference.

The Italian parliament is ready to support the Vietnamese National Assembly to improve operation skills and provide technical assistance as well as share experience in law making, supervising and raising female deputies’ role, the Italian parliamentary leaders said.

They spoke highly of the role and contributions of the 5,000 Vietnamese community to the local economy and culture.

President Quang expressed his pleasure at strong development in the bilateral ties since the two countries established the strategic partnership in January 2013.

Italy is Vietnam’s big trade partner in the EU. The two-way trade has increased every year, reaching 4.3 billion USD in 2015. The two countries target 6 billion USD for the 2017-18 period.

He thanked the Chamber of Deputies for its ratification of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in March 2016.

He asked the Italian parliament to support and ratify the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement in the time ahead, while encouraging Italian businesses to do business in Vietnam. 

Vietnam is willing to create favourable conditions for operations of Italian firms in the Southeast Asian nation.

President Quang conveyed invitations of the NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to the two Italian parliamentary leaders to visit Vietnam. They accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Vietnam, Italy enjoy vibrant relations: foreign ministers

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni (Photo: EPA/VNA)

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had talks with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Rome on November 21, sharing the view that their countries have enjoyed vibrant relations in all spheres. 

The talks took place within the framework of a State visit to Italy by Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang from November 21 to 24. 

The two officials affirmed the resolve to boost the comprehensive, substantive and effective development of the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership. 

They agreed to increase delegation exchanges and meetings at all levels, and coordinate in implementing the action plan for the implementation of the strategic partnership in 2017 and 2018 in ten fields of cooperation, namely politics-diplomacy, economics, science-technology, infrastructure, transport, culture, education-training, defence, security and justice. 

Priority will be given to economic partnerships, they said, noting that Italy will devise new orientations for development cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in vocational training, environment, water resources management and climate change response. 

Minh asked the Italian Foreign Ministry, as the coordinator of the country’s international cooperation in culture, training and science-technology, to continue assisting Vietnam in these aspects while turning science-technology into a prioritised cooperation area in the time ahead. 

Both sides agreed to enhance coordination at international and regional forums, especially the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), EU-ASEAN, and UNESCO. 

Italy promised to speed up the signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement. 

At the talks, the officials also discussed the East Sea issue, noting that East Sea disputes must be settled through peaceful negotiation, with respect to international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and efforts to expeditiously finalise a Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters. They also voiced support for the maintenance of peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region and the world at large. 

They agreed to strengthen coordination between their foreign ministries, maintain consultations, exchange students and personnel, and cooperate in international relations and international law training. 

On this occasion, the two ministers signed an action plan for the implementation of the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership in the 2017-2018 period.

VNA