Austria vows to foster Viet Nam-EU, ASEAN-EU relations
VGP - Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery Karoline Edstadler pledged to continue strengthening Viet Nam-EU and ASEAN-EU relations during her meeting with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on September 28.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (L) meets Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery Karoline Edstadler, Austria, September 28, 2022
The meeting was held on the occasion of the Vietnamese diplomat's official visit to Austria.
Karoline Edstadler spoke highly of the effective implementation of EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and positive growth in the bilateral trade value in 2021 (up 5.5 percent against in 2020) despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Austria is actively considering the approval of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and urging the EU to remove the "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood exports, she noted.
For his part, the Vietnamese diplomat emphasized that Viet Nam attaches importance to the relationship with Austria, expecting that Austria will play a bridging role in fostering the comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and the EU and ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership.
Both ministers agreed to promote the traditional friendship and multi-faceted relations between the two nations, expand cooperation to other sectors such as vocational training, climate change and getting access to green finance to realize commitments at the COP26.
*The same day, Bui had a meeting with Federal Minister of Labor and Economy Martin Kocher, during which both sides agreed to expand cooperation in new sectors such as labor and vocational training.
