Vietnamese senior leaders host Slovakian PM

VGP - Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang and National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted separate receptions for visiting Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in Ha Noi.

July 19, 2016 8:03 AM GMT+7

President Tran Dai Quang meeting with the Slovakian PM

Meeting with the Slovakian PM, the Party leader praised the high-level political talks between the two countries and urged for continued exchanges of visits and cooperation.

He thanked Slovakian government for facilitating the Vietnamese community there and called on Slovakia to continue support the views of Viet Nam and ASEAN on East Sea issue.

Slovak PM Fico said his nation has always placed high importance on consolidating and developing traditional friendship and cooperation with Viet Nam.

The country will accelerate the implementation of signed cooperation agreements between the two countries in the spheres of economics, trade, science-technology, culture and labour-society, he said.

As the rotating president of the European Union (EU) from July 2016, Slovakia will do its utmost to bolster relationship between the EU and Viet Nam, closely coordinate with the southeast Asian country at international forums, the Slovak guest said.

During the reception for the Slovakian guest, President Tran Dai Quang said the Vietnamese people treasure the precious and effective assistance the Slovakian people gave during Viet Nam’s previous struggles for national liberation and today’s national construction and defense. He reiterated the unswerving policy of facilitating Slovakian businesses to invest in Viet Nam.

Highlighting the outcomes of talks between the two PMs, Quang said Slovakia is one of the Central Eastern Europe’s top trade partners and investors in Viet Nam, and Viet Nam wants Slovakia to facilitate Vietnamese goods' easier penetration into the country, particularly agro-forestry-fisheries, garment and footwear.

President Tran Dai Quang meeting with the Slovakian PM

Fico, for his part, told his host the Viet Nam-Slovakia Inter-Governmental Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation’s meeting in Slovakia in early 2017 will focus on four or five specific and high added value projects, and the Slovak government will convene a special meeting discussing bilateral economic collaboration.

Slovakia will make the best use of its role as EU rotating president to enhance bilateral ties between Viet Nam and Slovakia, and between Viet Nam and the EU, he said, adding the Slovak legislature is expected to be one of the first EU’s law-making bodies to ratify the EVFTA.

The top legislator, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, during her reception, asked the Slovakian government to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese community there, helping to boost the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and PM Fico

She added that as Slovakia will be the President of the EU from July 2016, PM Fico will help boost ties with Viet Nam, speed up the EU-Viet Nam free trade agreement (EVFTA) and recognize Viet Nam’s full market economy.

Concerning the East Sea issue, the NA leader called on Slovakia to continue supporting the stance of Viet Nam and ASEAN on the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law.

She used the occasion to convey an invitation to the Speaker of the Slovak National Council to visit Viet Nam.

Slovak PM Robert Fico in turn applauded Viet Nam's renewal achievements especially in economic development.

He also suggested the two sides maintain exchange of visits, including those of friendship parliamentarian groups and their legislative bodies’ committees, towards fostering cooperation and experience sharing in law making and supervision.

Slovakia hopes the EVFTA will be soon enforced, saying that as the rotating presidency of the EU, his country will closely monitor the ratification process of the agreement at parliaments of EU member nations. - VOV