Spanish enterprises eye Vietnamese market: Deputy PM of Spain

Spanish First Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calviño made the above statement on Friday in Madrid, Spain, during her talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang who is paying an official visit to Spain from March 1-3.

Spain treasures the status and role of Viet Nam in the Asia-Pacific region, she said, expressing her belief that the Deputy Prime Minister's visit will bring the bilateral ties to a new development period.

Digital transformation and green growth are among potential sectors for the two nations to bolster collaboration in the upcoming time, she suggested.

Nadia Calviño pledged to maintain development aid for Viet Nam, pledging to speed up the signing of the Financial Cooperation Program 6 to carry out development projects between the two nation.

Spain will foster the relations between the EU with Viet Nam and ASEAN during its Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2023, she stated.

Tran, for his part, reassured that Viet Nam always attaches importance to the "strategic partnership towards the future" with Spain.

He suggested Spain facilitate access to Spain and the EU's markets by Vietnamese goods and encourage Spanish firms to pour more high-quality investment in Viet Nam in spheres of Spain's advantages such as infrastructure, renewable energy, transport and information technology.  

The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister recommended Spain advocate the European Commission (EC) to remove the "yellow card" against Vietnamese seafoods.

Both leaders pledged to effectively implement the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EUVFTA), striving to raise the bilateral trade value from the current US$3.5 billion to US$5 billion in the years to come.