Switzerland thanked for timely assistance for Viet Nam's COVID-19 fight

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and Swiss Vice President and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis bump elbows at the Government Office, Ha Noi, August 5, 2021. Photo: VGP

In a friendly, sincere and open atmosphere, the two leaders reviewed the outcomes of the bilateral ties over the past 50 years and charted future orientations for bilateral cooperation, with a focus on sustainable development, modern governance, human resource training, innovation, and digital transformation.

The leaders also discussed preparations for Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s upcoming visit to Switzerland and cooperation in the fight against COVID-19.

Vice President Cassis informed that the Swiss Government decided to provide 500,000 sets of test kits, 300,000 facemasks, 30 ventilators and other medical supplies in emergency aid to Viet Nam.

PM Pham extended thanks to the Swiss Government’s timely assistance, asking Switzerland to actively help Viet Nam access global vaccine and medical device supply sources and accelerate cooperation in transfer of production technology.

Pham also appreciated and thanked Switzerland for providing US$650 million in official development assistance to Viet Nam over the last 30 years, contributing to advancing socio-economic development in the Southeast Asian country.

Both sides agreed to step up negotiations on a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in order to create breakthroughs in the bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

PM Pham suggested Switzerland further facilitate import of Vietnamese farm produce, especially seasonal fruits to the Swiss and EU markets.

The two leaders agreed to foster collaboration at multilateral forums, underlined the significance of ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation, security, peace and stability in the East Sea and of settling disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea./.

By Huong Giang