PM’s Romania visit to take bilateral ties to next level: Ambassador

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will make an official visit to Romania from April 14-16 at the invitation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.

The Ambassador said Romania is among the first 10 nations that established diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1950, and the two countries have had sound friendship and cooperation over years.

This visit, the first by a Vietnamese PM to Romania since 1977, looks to open up opportunities for Vietnam to gain Romania’s support in the ties with the European Union (EU), especially in pushing for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) during the country’s rotating EU Presidency in the first half of 2019.

Besides, the visit also looks to step up the two sides’ coordination at international forums and build plans to prepare for the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the diplomat said.

The two sides will seek to boost cooperation across politics, economics, trade-investment, education-training, culture-tourism, agriculture, labour, and local partnership during the visit.

Regarding the cooperation prospects, Phong said the traditional friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation between Vietnam and Romania are practical supplements to the relations between Vietnam and the EU.

Such cooperative mechanisms between the EU and Vietnam like the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and Free Trade Agreement bring in new cooperative opportunities and advantages for both Vietnam and Romania.

Within the EU framework, Romania will be a bridge for Vietnam to enhance its relations with other EU countries while in the ASEAN framework, Vietnam will help step up the relations between Romania and the ASEAN, especially when Romania takes in the rotating EU Presidency in the first half of 2019 and Vietnam works as the ASEAN Chair in 2020.

Romania backs Vietnam regarding EVFTA and commits to pushing up the signing and ratification of the deal during its EU Presidency as the pact will generate strategic benefits for the EU in ratcheting up its relations with ASEAN member states as well as new trade and investment opportunities for Vietnam and the EU in general and Romania in particular, he said.

Phong said that Vietnam and Romania have conditions to expand their cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, IT, science-technology, and environmental protection.

Considerable progresses in bilateral cooperation in the past years created momentum for the countries to bolster existing relations in politics, diplomacy, security, defence, economy-trade, education, culture-tourism, local cooperation, and people-to-people exchange, he said.

The two countries are working to diversify trade, agricultural, labor, tourism, educational, and training partnership to meet their potential, the diplomat noted.

Phong expressed his hope that built on the traditional friendship and sound multifaceted cooperation, new opportunities in Vietnam-EU cooperation, and efforts by both sides, the Romania visit by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will create a strong impetus to take bilateral ties to the next level./.