VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam and the Netherlands are expected to further their energy co-operation after a series of agreements were signed during Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit from September 27 to October 1.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung meets Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation Maxime Verhagen. (Photo: VNA)

A letter of intent between PetroVietnam and companies and organisations which join the Automobile Engineering Training Institute (AETI) programme on co-operation in training, scientific research and technological transfer, and an MoU on training co-operation between the Viet Nam University of Oil and Gas and the Delft University of Technology were also signed.

Speaking at the forum, PM Dung stressed that Viet Nam considered energy a key economic sector which contributes to realising the country's Millennium Development Goals and shortens the national industrialisation and modernisation process.

He said Viet Nam's total commercial energy demand was forecast to increase by over 7 per cent each year in the 2010-2025 period.

To meet the energy demand for the country's economic development and ensure national energy security in the face of fluctuating oil and gas prices, the Vietnamese Government was actively implementing measures to diversify energy resources and gave priority to developing and renewable energies, liquefied natural gas-fuelled power and atomic energy, he added.

On the same day, PM Dung received the leaders of the Royal Dutch Shell Group and Heineken Group, affirming that the Vietnamese Government would support and create favourable conditions for the two groups to continue doing business in the country.

According to the PM, during 20 years of operations in Viet Nam, Shell has made great contributions to Viet Nam' s oil and gas sector, helping meet the country's increasing energy demand.He suggested the group attach importance to developing new, safe and environmentally friendly energy resources as it was a focus of the Vietnamese Government's attention to ensure the country's sustainable growth.

Dung also spoke highly of Heineken's success in Viet Nam and its contributions to social activities in the country over the past two decades, suggesting the group pay more attention to environmental protection in order to maintain its position as one of the leading businesses in Viet Nam.

On the same day, the Vietnamese PM met with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and senior officials of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion and visited the Rijk Zwaan vegetable seed company.

Meeting with Dutch leaders

Dung has met with the President of the Dutch House of Representatives Gerdi Verbeet and Vice President of the Senate Kim Putters during his current visit to the European country.

At the meetings, Dung affirmed that Viet Nam attached importance to promoting the friendship and co-operation with the Netherlands in all fields. He hoped the Dutch Parliament would continue its active support of co-operation programmes with Viet Nam in this field, as well as co-operation activities in economics, trade, investment, health care, culture and education between the two countries.

The PM said a strong, effective and in-depth co-operation between the parliaments of the two countries would help promote bilateral friendship and multi-faceted co-operation in the coming time.

President of the House of Representatives Gerdi Verbeet described the Prime Minister's official visit to the Netherlands as helping promote the co-operative relationship between Viet Nam and the Netherlands.

The Netherlands was ready to help Viet Nam in education, healthcare and coping with climate change, particularly in implementing the strategic partnership on climate change and water management, said the Dutch parliamentary leader.

At a reception given to Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard Van de Laan, Dung thanked the city's people for their valuable support and friendly feelings to Vietnamese people, which is represented by the Ha Noi-Amsterdam Senior High School in Ha Noi.

He told the mayor that a number of Dutch companies such as Phillips, Heineken, and AkzoNobel had become familiar brand names in Viet Nam. The PM affirmed that the Vietnamese Government encouraged the two countries' localities to promote economics, trade and investment co-operation.

Mayor Van de Laan said Amsterdam always wanted to expand all-round co-operation with Viet Nam's localities. He said he hoped the Vietnamese Government would create favourable conditions for Amsterdam businesses to invest in Viet Nam in the fields of finance, banking, oil and gas and healthcare.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News