(VOVworld) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with the foreign ministers of France, Italy, and Ireland and the Swedish minister of education on Saturday within the framework of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
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| Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. (Photo: VNA) |
Receiving French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minh extended profound condolences to the French Government and people, and the families of victims of the terrorist attack in Nice on Thursday.
Mr. Minh said Vietnam appreciates the French Parliament’s ratification of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and wishes that France will support the early signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Jean-Marc Ayrault said French President Francois Holland will visit Vietnam in September, adding that this visit will help intensify the two countries’ strategic partnership in all fields, especially in economics.
Talking to Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Deputy PM Minh spoke highly of Italian government’s completion of the PCA and the EU and Vietnam’s plan to sign the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement. Mr. Minh called for Italy’s support for Vietnam to gain access to loans from the IDA beyond 2017
At his meeting with Swedish Minister of Education Gustav Fridolin, Deputy PM Minh welcomed the Swedish Prime Minister’s proposal on the establishment of a strategic partnership in education-training and science-technology.
He said the Foreign Ministry will work with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Science and Technology to study this proposal.
He suggested Sweden support Vietnam’s access to the International Development Association loans and the World Bank’s building of a suitable repayment plan to help Vietnam have a sustainable repayment capacity.
At the meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan, Deputy PM Minh welcomed the Irish President’s visit to Vietnam slated for late 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
The Irish minister said he hoped the two countries will intensify cooperation in potential areas like culture, education, and agriculture, and that Vietnam will help Ireland expand its exports to the country and Southeast Asia.