Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had bilateral meetings with Japanese, New Zealand and Moroccan counterparts on the margins of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC (April 12 local time).

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and European Committee Chairman Herman Van Rompuy.

PM Dung and Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama reconfirmed their determination to raise the strategic partnership between the two countries to new heights. Dung asked Japan to continue a high level of official development aid for Vietnam’s key infrastructure projects.

Hatoyama replied positively, confirming that big grants will be provided to speed implementation of the North-South high speed railway, the North-South express highway and the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park west of Hanoi.

New Zealand PM John Key told Dung that his South Pacific nation attaches importance to comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam. Key is preparing to pay an official visit to Vietnam.

PM Dung and his Moroccan counterpart agreed their two countries need to exchange visits and meet each other more often to exchange information, experience and grasp cooperation opportunities.

To European Committee Chairman Herman Van Rompuy, Dung emphasized that Vietnam and the EU ought to build a model of cooperation between a developed centre and a developing country. He praised the EU’s positive report on the evolution of Vietnam’s market economy and expressed hope that the EU would soon recognize that Vietnam has qualified for ‘market economy status.’

Rompuy replied that the two sides will sign a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PAC) very soon and continue to make progress toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The EC Chairman also praised Vietnam’s current leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and hoped that this year Vietnam and the EU will cooperate to promote the relationship between the EU and ASEAN.

Source: Chinhphu.vn