Prime Minister Phuc’s visits gave a new momentum to Vietnam’s relationship with Romania and the Czech Republic and helped Vietnam gain support for its comprehensive cooperation with the European Union and the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. A Vietnam-Romania Joint Statement and Vietnam-Czech Joint Statement will boost future bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis

Successful trip

During his trip, Prime Minister Phuc held talks and met with leaders and enterprises and overseas Vietnamese. The Romanian and Czech leaders expressed support for the EVFTA which will expand bilateral economic and investment cooperation between Vietnam and EU countries.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Romania, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU for the first half of this year, will press for the signing of the EVFTA and the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA). She promised to work harder to deepen relations between Vietnam and the EU and Romania in particular. Prime Minister Viorica said: “The Vietnamese Prime Minister’s first visit to Romania in 42 years marks an important milestone in bilateral ties. The two countries have strengthened cooperation in various fields including culture and education. The 4,000 Vietnamese people who have studied in Romania will serve as a bridge for bilateral ties. As the EU Chair, Romania will support the prompt signing and implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the Investment Protection Agreement. In recent years, the economies of Romania and Vietnam have grown rapidly and created multiple cooperation opportunities.”

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis

During Mr. Phuc’s visits, Vietnam signed several cooperative agreements with the two countries. Vietnam signed an MOU on opening a direct air route with the Czech Republic creating opportunities in labor, tourism, and investment. At a meeting with Vietnamese and Czech businesses during the visit, Prime Minister Phuc said: “The two governments have agreed to create the best conditions for enterprises to promote innovative ideas and business projects. The Czech economy’s development level is higher than Vietnam’s but Vietnam enjoys dynamic growth. The two economies are based on commodity production, particularly agricultural production, so they can support each other rather than compete directly with each other.”

Promoting shared perception of multi-polar world

During Prime Minister Phuc’s visit, the leaders agreed to work closely to maintain peace and security amidst rapid changes and complications around the world. They expressed support for a multi-polar world emphasizing on the important role of the UN and commitments to respect independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-reliance, and the need to settle international disputes through peaceful means and respect for international law and the UN Charter.