President praises outgoing Spanish Ambassador's contributions to bilateral ties

President Vo Van Thuong (R) receives outgoing Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Pilar Méndez Jiménez. (Photo: VNA)

Congratulating Spain on its successful role as the rotating President of the Council of European Union (EU) in the last half of this year, Thuong said that Spain has become Vietnam's eighth largest trade partner in the EU while Vietnam is the largest ASEAN trade partner of the European country.

The President suggested that in the coming time, both countries should continue stepping up all-level exchanges and strengthening political trust as a foundation for bilateral cooperation.

Both sides need to further advance frameworks of bilateral cooperation, especially the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, he said, hoping for more people-to-people and cultural exchanges to deepen bilateral ties.

As the two countries are looking toward the 15th anniversary of strategic partnership, he wished that both sides would hold practical activities to deepen their relationship.

Méndez Jiménez, for her part, affirmed that Spain values cooperation with Vietnam and considers it a priority in the development of their cooperation.

She said many large Spanish companies investing in Vietnam have reaped success, particularly in renewable energy, wind and solar power, and digitisation – all of which are important sectors in the development strategies of both sides.

The guest expressed her belief that the EVFTA, the EVIPA, and the recently-established Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam will lay a solid foundation to push forward cooperation between the two countries./.