(VOV) - Vietnam will continue to facilitate Republic of Korean businesses to stabilize their investment and operations for the long term in Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh was speaking at a reception for Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong on Thursday in Hanoi. Deputy PM Minh proposed both sides finalize a free trade agreement later this year, urging the RoK to continue to open its markets to Vietnamese goods.

Cho said the Korean business community lauds the Vietnamese Government for its timely intervention in anti-China riots in Binh Duong and Ha Tinh provinces. Cho said the Republic of Korea was especially concerned about maintaining peace, stability, and maritime safety and freedom in the East Sea, calling on related parties to settle any the disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international law, especially the UN 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).