(VOVWORLD) -Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday received Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, who are visiting Vietnam.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talks to Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Photo:VNA
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At the meeting with the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Chinh conveyed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's invitation to Brazilian President Lula da Silva, inviting the President to visit Vietnam again soon.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the relationship between the two countries is flourishing and asked Brazil to soon recognize Vietnam's market economy status and continue to coordinate with other countries of the South America Common Market (MERCOSUR) to soon launch negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the bloc.
He urged greater effort to boost legal frameworks on trade and investment between the two countries and strive to raise Vietnam-Brazil trade value to 10 billion USD by 2025 and 15 billion USD by 2030. The Prime Minister also proposed further cooperation in agriculture, clean energy, innovation, education and training, and sports.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shakes hands with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. Photo:VNA
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Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
The Prime Minister said the first visit to Vietnam by a top diplomat of the Holy See, especially after establishing a permanent representative in Vietnam, is important for the Vietnamese Catholic community and contributes to strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See which is developing positively.
Discussing the religious situation in Vietnam, Prime Minister Chinh said that Vietnam is a multi-religious country with 24 million followers, accounting for 27% of the country's population, in which the Catholic community is growing strongly with more than 7.2 million parishioners.
He reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting and protecting freedom of belief and religion with an improved system of policies and laws to ensure a legal corridor for religious activities.
On future Vietnam-Holy See relations, Prime Minister Chinh agreed with Archbishop Gallagher on promoting high-level contacts, including a visit to Vietnam by Pope Francis.