Deputy PM suggests Ireland prompt EU to soon ratify EVFTA

Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung meets with Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan in Dublin on April 21 - (Credit: VGP)

The Vietnamese Deputy PM was accompanied by Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Van Thao, leaders of the Government Office; Ministries of Industry and Trade, Investment and Planning, Agriculture and Rural Development, Transportation and Construction.

During the meeting, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its cooperative ties with Ireland; suggested Ireland prompt the European Union (EU) to soon sign and ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and recognize Vietnam’s market economy.

The Deputy PM also called on Ireland to provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students and create favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese in Ireland to better integrate into the host society.

For his part, Minister Flanagan agreed to work closely with Vietnam in implementing agreements signed during the Vietnam visit by Irish President Michael D. Higgins in 2016, and maintaining delegation exchanges, and all-level meetings to consolidate the friendship and multi-lateral cooperation between the two nations, with focus on economic-trade relations, development cooperation, agriculture-food, and education-training.

He pledged to boost bilateral economic cooperation in the coming time, facilitate and encouraging the two nations’ enterprises to invest and transfer technology, particularly in the sectors with strong potential, such as renewable energy, high-quality agriculture, food industry, aviation, and information and communication technology.

The two ministers also agreed to work closely to identify priorities for cooperation in the national strategy between the two nations for 2017-2020, with Ireland’s commitment to assist Vietnam in socioeconomic development, poverty reduction and climate change adaption. They also consented to implement effectively agreements on child adoption and facilitating the flow of products into each other’s market.

Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung and the two Irish ministers together with ambassadors of Vietnam and Ireland - Photo: VGP

In a separate meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed, Deputy PM Dung spoke highly of Ireland’s agricultural achievements and urged Ireland to share experience and support Vietnam in hi-tech agricultural development while strengthening cooperation in forestry, environment and response to climate change.

He also called on Ireland to facilitate access to its market for Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery products, and to the European market through the nation.

For his part, Minister Creed shared Ireland’s experience in applying advanced technology in traditional farming, making it one of the most prosperous nations in Europe. The Government of Ireland is willing to boost cooperation with Vietnam in diary, pharmaceuticals, meat processing, he said,

At the working session - Photo: VGP

Minister Creed added that Ireland also supports promoting the EU-Vietnam relations, thus further facilitating trade and investment ties between the two nations. He agreed to cooperate with Vietnam in implementing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture, signed in 2014, with focus on four key areas, namely providing assistance for training managers of modern agriculture, sharing experience in organic agriculture development, developing safe agricultural production management system and cow farming.

The two ministers agreed to promote delegation exchanges, organize workshops and training courses for Vietnam, share advanced technology and scientific application in safe agro-forestry-fishery production models.

During the visit, the Vietnamese delegation made field trips to several high-quality cow farms in Cork province to learn about the model of clean, high-quality and environmentally-friendly agricultural production, and worked with a number of Irish enterprises in trade, education-training, and agriculture.