(VOVworld) – Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico begins his official visit to Vietnam from July 16 to July 19 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. On Monday morning in the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Prime Minister Phuc hosted a welcoming ceremony for the Slovakian guests and after that talks were held between the two delegations.

Both PMs witnessed the signing of agreements

Both leaders said that economic cooperation between Vietnam and Slovakia develop steadily with two way trade turnover reaching about 300 million USD per year. They agreed to continue to improve the effectiveness of the joint committee for economic cooperation and trade promotion activities as well as facilitate businesses to seek their partners, especially in areas of their advantages such as infrastructure construction, food processing, pharmaceuticals, urban planning, public transport, environmental protection and water resource protection. Both sides agreed to boost  cooperation in security, defense, culture, education and science and technology. The two PMs expressed pleasure over their close, effective coordination in international forums. PM Fico voiced Slovakia’s support for the strengthened ties between Vietnam and the EU, the signing and approval of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement and urged the EU for prompt recognition of Vietnam’s full market economy status at the time when the agreement is signed. Both leaders stressed the need to settle East Sea disputes through peaceful means, to abide by the UN Charter, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and to soon formulate the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

PM Fico invited PM Phuc to visit Slovakia and the invitation was accepted. After the talks, both leaders witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements in transport, information and communications, investment and education.