(VOVworld) - Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has suggested Ireland prompt the European Union (EU) to soon sign and ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UVFTA) and recognize Vietnam’s market economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan (Photo: VOV5)

Deputy Prime Minister Dung made the suggestion during his meeting with Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan in Dublin on April 21, where he affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its cooperative ties with Ireland. The Deputy Prime Minister also called on Ireland to provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students and create favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese in Ireland to better integrate into the host society. For his part, Minister Flanagan pledged to boost bilateral economic cooperation in the coming time, facilitate and encouraging the two nations’ enterprises to invest and transfer technology, particularly in the sectors with strong potential, such as renewable energy, high-quality agriculture, food industry, aviation, and information and communication technology. During his meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed, Deputy Prime Minister Dung spoke highly of Ireland’s agricultural achievements and urged Ireland to share experience and support Vietnam in hi-tech agricultural development while strengthening cooperation in forestry, environment and response to climate change. He also called on Ireland to facilitate access to its market for Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery products, and to the European market through the nation.