Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani in Belgium in 2018 (Photo: VNA)
So said Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Pier Giorgio Aliberti during an interview with the press.
According to the Ambassador, there is a big difference in the relationship between Vietnam and the EU within the past 30 years. Thirty years ago, the EU had 12 members, so far it is strong with 27 members. The EU is currently the bloc with trade activities as well as the largest provider of non-refundable assistance globally. “We have relationships with many partners around the world,” he said.
For Vietnam, the past 30 years have seen spectacular change. In 1990, Vietnam's GDP was just under USD100 per person, now it has reached USD2,700 per person. While Vietnam’s trade turnover with the world in 1990 was USD5 billion, this figure has now reached USD550 billion. Three decades ago, the Vietnam-EU bilateral trade turnover reached USD200 million, and now it is USD50 billion. This is a big highlight, showing the strong development of trade between the two sides in recent years. It can be said that Vietnam is a very important partner of the EU in Asia.
Vietnam and the EU share common policies; trust in an open economy, open society, people-to-people exchange and multilateral order. “As Vietnam is the country with the largest number of trade agreements in Asia, we look forward to promoting the multilateral trading system with you,” the Ambassador went on to say.
Regarding the bilateral cooperation in the years to come, he stressed that Vietnam and the EU can increase cooperation in many important areas, including the EU’s Green Deal which allows the two sides to cooperate in sustainable development in the fields of economics, environment and society; digital transformation – one of the priorities of both the EU and the Vietnamese Government; and the implementation of the Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Congratulating Vietnam for successfully taking the position of the ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 during the context that the world is doing its utmost to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted that Vietnam’s most remarkable results in the year of ASEAN Chairmanship is to promote the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the adoption of 80 documents – the largest number ever adopted in ASEAN meetings.
He also confirmed that Vietnam had supported the EU’s greater cooperation with ASEAN./.