At the talks (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong and hisAustrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen discussed measures to deepen the bilateral friendship and multifaceted cooperation during their talks in Vienna on July 24, taking place right after the Alexander Van der Bellen for the Vietnamese guests.
Van derBellen affirmed that Austriavalues the long-standing friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, which was established in 1972.
Austriaconsiders Vietnam an important partner in its foreign policy in theAsia-Pacific, especially in trade and investment, he said, adding that thecountry wishes to further enhance bilateral relations in the fields of economy,education and culture.
Thuong, for his part,asserted that Vietnam always wishes to foster the friendship and all-aroundcollaboration with Austria, its reliable friend in the European Union.
Inorder to increase political trust and tap into the immense cooperation potentialof the two countries, the leaders agreed to facilitate the exchange of delegations atall levels and across various channels. They will effectively implement existingcooperation mechanisms and also study the establishment of new cooperationmechanisms that are suitable for the new context.
PresidentThuong proposed that both sides continue working closely together andeffectively utilise the benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement(EVFTA), including facilitating access to each other's markets for theirrespective strong export items. Austria was asked to create favourableconditions for its firms to increase investments in Vietnam, particularly inindustries such as automobile support industries, railway, medical equipment, andpharmaceuticals.
DescribingVietnam as Austria's biggest partner in Southeast Asia, the Austrian Presidenthoped that both sides will be interested in improving the bilateral tradebalance.
Thuongalso suggested Austria back the European Commission’s removal of yellow cardwarning against Vietnam’s aquatic products, thus enabling Vietnam to exportthem to the EU.
Healso proposed Austria prioritise Vietnam in its official developmentassistance (ODA) funding and issue more favourable loan policies, particularlyfor projects in health care, environment protection, vocational training,firefighting, and rescue operations. The Austrian President warmly welcomed theongoing discussions about preferential loans from the Austrian Government andhoped that sustainable cooperation projects could be implemented soon.
Thetwo sides vowed to step up cooperation in education-training, culture-arts, andsports, and people-to-people exchange. The host agreed with the gueste's proposalto continue supporting the Vietnamese community in Austria, who serve as abridge for bilateral friendship.
On the global and regionalissues of shared concern, Thuong spoke highly of Austria's interest inenhancing relations with the Southeast Asian region.
Vietnamis ready to act as a bridge to help Austria strengthen its ties with ASEAN,he said, suggesting that Austria could play a bridging role to help enhance Vietnam's relations with the EU.
Bothleaders promised to continue close coordination at global and regional forums,particularly within the framework of ASEAN-EU cooperation, for the sake ofpeace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
On the East Sea issue, they reaffirmed the importance of peace,stability, safety, security and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. They alsoexpressed support for international law and the 1982 United Nations Conventionon the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Vo Van Thuong and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen witness the signing of the MoU between the two foreign ministries (Photo: VNA) The Vietnamese leader extended an invitation to the AustrianPresident and his spouse to visit Vietnam soon. The host accepted theinvitation with pleasure.
Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of aMemorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese and Austrian foreignministries./.
