Vietnamese Prime Minister Hosts Newly-Arrived Belgian Ambassador

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) welcomes Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van Den Bossche. (Photo: VGP)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi for the new-appointed Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van Den Bossche, during which the host affirmed that Vietnam always treasures its ties with Belgium on November 6.

PM Chinh outlined his hopes that during his working tenure, the Belgian diplomat will make contributions to the growth of mutual ties, especially when both sides celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations, as well as the fifth anniversary of bilateral strategic partnership in agriculture in 2023.

The PM, therefore, thanked the Government and people of Belgium for providing 100,000 doses of Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine for the country during its battle against the pandemic, considering it to be a kind gesture in bilateral ties.

With regard to the positive development of the relationship across all fields and at all levels, despite the Covid-19 impact, the Vietnamese Government chief asked that the two nations move to intensify the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones. This should be done to seek specific measures to boost multifaceted cooperation.

PM Chinh showed his elation at growing two-way trade, noting that the figure hit US$3.3 billion during the first eight months of the year, with many Belgium businesses now successfully operating in Vietnam, especially in maritime transport, logistics, and renewable energy.

He went on to suggest that Belgium offer favorable conditions for Vietnamese farm produce to enter its market, expressing his hope that the business community of both sides will continue to cooperate closely and optimize all opportunities from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to boost bilateral trade and investment ties.

He also urged Belgium to swiftly ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and urge the European Commission to remove the “yellow card” warning placed against Vietnamese seafood, according to VOV.

The two countries should continue to cooperate with and support each other at multilateral forums and organizations, especially the United Nations, Asia- Europe Meeting, International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), and ASEAN-EU Summit, and coordinate in organizing the ASEAN-EU Summit in mid-December in Belgium, he said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) hosts Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Karl Van Den Bossche. (Photo: VGP)

For his part, Bossche underlined that Belgium always attaches great importance to its friendship and cooperation with Vietnam, and lauded Vietnam’s achievements in post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development as well as the country’s role and position in the region and the world.

The ambassador pledged that he will work hard to further promote the partnership between the two countries in areas where Belgium has strength and Vietnam has demanded such as sustainable agriculture, digital economy, green growth, and energy transition.

He also vowed to coordinate with the Vietnamese side to organize celebrations of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

The diplomat also stressed that he will focus on bolstering bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation and bringing more Belgian investors to Vietnam, adding that the Belgian side will work closely with Vietnam to hold the meeting of the Vietnam-Belgium Joint Committee and political consultation in mid-November.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

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