Vietnam, Brazil enhance comprehensive cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed Vietnam’s wish to continue strengthening its comprehensive cooperation with Brazil during talks with Brazilian Minister of External Relations Mauro Luiz Vieira in Hanoi on July 27.

The Vietnamese leaders welcome Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s scheduled visit to Vietnam slated for later this year, considering it a significant event to create a new driving force towards deepening bilateral ties, Minh said.

The Brazilian minister, for his part, stated that Brazil considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia, as evidenced by the impending Vietnam visit by its President.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (right) and Brazilian Minister of External Relations Mauro Luiz Vieira. Photo: VNA.

Reviewing recent trade activity, they described it as modest and still well below each economy’s potential, especially in farming, processing and manufacturing, energy and clean materials, bi-technology, aviation and infrastructure.

Trade in 2014 soared 40 percent to 3.35 billion USD, laying a foundation for the targeted 10 billion USD by 2020.

Accordingly, both host and guest agreed to make thorough preparations for President Rousseff’s visit to Vietnam, hold the third meeting of the Vietnam – Brazil Joint Committee for Economic-Trade and Science-Technology Cooperation this year and step up negotiations for the signing of an investment promotion and protection agreement as well as other deals across agriculture, technology, education, maritime transport and tourism.

The two countries are set to gradually refine their legal frameworks for bilateral cooperation, facilitating market navigation and joint business ventures.

On multilateral coordination, they spoke highly of the close Vietnam-Brazil coordination at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organisation.

They also concurred to foster collaboration in climate change response and water resource use.

On the occasion, the guest expressed Brazil’s support for Vietnam’s bid for a seat at the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2015-2019 tenure.

He suggested conducting several technical solutions to make it easier for Brazil to recognise Vietnam as a market economy.

Turning to regional and global issues of shared concern, the two ministers reiterated their mutual support to reinforce links in Southeast Asia and Latin America, as well as promote Southeast Asia-Latin America links via ASEAN’s channels linking with the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR) and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation framework.

Both sides expressed their position on supporting the settlement of sovereignty disputes through dialogues and peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea./.

VNF/VNA