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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shakes hands with Minister-President of Germany’s Lower Saxony state Stephan Weil |
At the Government Office, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh yesterday received Mr. Stephan Weil who paid a visit to Vietnam with a delegation of more than 40 state businesses.
During a talk about the socio-economic development of the two countries and prospects for bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam has persistently persevered with an independent and self-reliant foreign policy. Vietnam is a reliable partner of all countries and an active member of the international community. The Prime Minister wished to develop a deeper strategic partnership with Germany in general and with the state of Lower Saxony in particular.
In the context of the positive development of relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated the potential for cooperation with Germany and Lower Saxony when the trade turnover between Vietnam and Lower Saxony in 2022 reaches EUR1.4 billion, equivalent to 1/10 of the total trade turnover between Vietnam and Germany. Hence, he recommended the Lower Saxony state government encourage the state's businesses to pour more investment in the Southeast Asian country in the fields of businesses’ strength.
At the same time, Vietnam advocates the German National Assembly to ratify the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) as well as urge the European Commission to remove the yellow card on Vietnamese seafood.
Lower Saxony State Premier Stephan Weil expressed his impression of his first visit congratulating Vietnam’s socio-economic and foreign affairs development achievements. He affirmed that the government and business community of Lower Saxony highly appreciate the potential for cooperation between the two sides, wishing to establish delegation exchange relations and build partnerships with ministries, localities and businesses.
Minister-President of the state Stephan Weil agreed with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about fields of cooperation in which Germany in general and the state of Lower Saxony have strengths to satisfy Vietnam’s needs, especially in the field of trade - investment, response to climate change, renewable energy, skilled labor training, tourism.
Mr. Stephan Weil also expressed his good impressions of the positive contributions of the community of about 10,000 Vietnamese people in Germany to the local socio-economic growth. At the same time, these Vietnamese people act as a bridge of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. He affirmed that he would make efforts to promote the Vietnam - Germany strategic partnership to increasingly develop practically and effectively.
