(VOVworld) – Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is visiting Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The visit from July 11 to 14 is an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos reviewed the guard of honor (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos held talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and met Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang, and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Mr.  Ciolos also delivered speech at the Vietnam-Rumania Business Forum.

Traditional friendship

In the early 1950s, Vietnam and Romania established diplomatic ties and since then have continuously fostered the relationship. High-ranking visits have been exchanged. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visited Romania in 2009 and 2014 respectively. Romanian President Ion Ilescu visited Vietnam in 2002 and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations Korodi Attila in 2011.

The two countries supported each other’s bid for non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council. Under the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Vietnam and Romania co-sponsored Hungary’s water initiative in the region’s sustainable development strategy. Both sides have signed 7 documents which create a legal framework for their relationship.

Economic cooperation between the two countries has been dynamic, with two-way trade turnover reaching 175.6 million USD in 2015, 16% higher than in 2014. Since 2010, Romania has been one of the major importers of Vietnamese seafood, averaging 12,000 tons per year. As of late 2015, Romania had 3 FDI projects in Vietnam capitalized at 2.1 million USD.

Educational cooperation

Educational cooperation is one of the focal points of Vietnam-Romania ties. In 1995, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in culture, science, education and sports under which Romania provides 10 college and postgraduate scholarships for Vietnamese students. Both sides signed a program for educational cooperation in the 2013-2016 period during a visit to Vietnam by Romania’s Secretary of State for Education in 2013. Since 2006, Romania has provided PhD scholarships for French-speaking countries, including Vietnam. In October, 2006, PetroVietnam and Romania’s Petroconsult signed a contract on personnel training and a test run of a refinery in Romania, to which 56 Romanian experts were sent to work. From 2003 to 2009, Romania trained 35 engineers for PetroVietnam. There are currently 50 Vietnamese students studying in Romania and 450 Vietnamese working in factories and construction sites there.

The current visit to Vietnam by the Romanian Prime Minister reflects the two countries’ determination to boost their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation.