Finland regards Viet Nam as top economic partner in ASEAN

Halla-Aho, who is on an official visit to Viet Nam, told Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that Finland expects to further strengthen cooperation with Viet Nam to fully utilize the two sides' vast cooperation potential and to help Viet Nam achieve its goal to become a high-income country.

From a war torn and aid recient country, Viet Nam has emerged to become an equal cooperation partner of Finland, Halla-Aho noted.

He spoke highly of Viet Nam's impressive socio-economic development achievements and its increasingly high position on the international arena.

Prime Minister briefed Halla-Aho about Viet Nam's foreign policy and recent achievements, calling on the Finish Parliament to raise voice to the European Commission to remove yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.

He also took the occasion to urge parliaments of the EU member countries to soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVFTA) which would help boost market access by the two sides' business circles.

Both sides should explore cooperation potential in education and vocational training, share experience in improving the quality of education, expand the exchange of students, Pham said.

He asked the Finish Government to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and work in the host country and contribute to cementing the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides agreed to enhance the exchange of high-level delegations and contacts across Party, State and parliament channels in order to reinforce political trust as well as coordination at multilateral forums for the common goal of stability, peace and sustainable development.

Comparing notes on regional and international issues of shared concern, both sides agreed on the need to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, settle disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Halla-Aho voiced his support for the positions of ASEAN and Viet Nam on the Eat Sea issue, including those on ensuring safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, and for the efforts by ASEAN and China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and to formulate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC)./.