Gov’t chief receives Swiss lower house leader
VGP - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception for President of the National Council of Switzerland in Ha Noi on June 30.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shakes hand with President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Cardina, Ha Noi, June 30, 2023 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
The Prime Minister was convinced that the visit would open new new chapter for the bilateral ties.
He took the occasion to seek Switzerland's support for stepping up the negotiation and signing of the FTA between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
There is ample room for further cooperation between the two countries, said the Prime Minister. Hence, he proposed the guest leader and the Swiss lower house enable investors to do business in Viet Nam especially in such fields as finance, banking, insurance, manufacturing, pharmacy, agricultural processing, renewable and tourism.
He also proposed Swizerland support Vietnamese SMEs in terms of techniques, industrial cooperation and trade exchanges.
The Prime Minister called upon the two countries to work closely to implement the Switzerland-Viet Nam Development Cooperation Programme for the 2021-2024 period, with an ODA budget of CHF 78 million (US$76 million) which supports competitiveness for private sector, knowledge economy, responding to new development and climate change challenges.
In reply, President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas who is on an official visit to Viet Nam briefed the host leader about his recent meetings with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to put the bilateral ties into practice.
He also revealed that Swizerland is interested and hopes to early sign the EFTA in 2024.
The friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Switzerland have been thriving over the past years. In terms of politics and diplomacy, the two sides have regularly maintained the exchange of high-level delegations and meetings.
However, due to COVID-19, two-way trade decreased 6.8 percent year on year to nearly US$ 806 million in 2022.
Switzerland ranks 21st in terms of foreign direct investment in Vietnam, with 206 valid projects worth around 1.9 billion USD. The two sides are accelerating the conclusion of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Viet Nam remained one of the few countries in Switzerland's list of priority partners./.
