Receiving Portuguese Ambassador João Weistein, President Vo Van Thuong highly appreciated the well-developed friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Portugal.
Given that the potential for cooperation between the two countries is still very large in all fields, the President suggested that in the coming time, the two sides should strengthen the exchange of high-level delegations and all levels; looking forward to welcoming high-ranking Portuguese leaders to Vietnam this year, opening a new stage of development in the relations between the two countries; asked the Ambassador to
promote the establishment of cooperative and twinning relations between localities of the two countries, including Ho Chi Minh City and Porto city.
The President highly appreciated Portugal's ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in April, contributing to promoting trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.
With the bilateral trade turnover in the first quarter of 2023 reaching about 140 million USD, the President said that it is not commensurate with the potential of the two countries. Therefore, the two sides need to promote cooperation in areas of strength.
The President also suggested that Portugal continue to push EU countries to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement; promoting the EC to soon remove the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood products, creating favorable conditions for the two sides' seafood products to access each other's markets.
The President also suggested that the two countries promote cooperation in tourism, cultural exchanges, people-to-people exchanges and sports exchanges in order to contribute to enhancing understanding between the two peoples.
Thanking President Vo Van Thuong for his time, the Portuguese Ambassador expressed his wish to have a successful term in Vietnam; wishes to promote cooperation between the two countries in education, new energy and many other fields in which each country has strengths. The Ambassador said he will do his best to contribute to promoting the relationship between the two countries to a new height.
Source: CCIPV / Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Vietnam
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