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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for International Trade, UAE Ministry of Economy. |
On the afternoon of January 25, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Minister of State for International Trade, Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi is on a working visit to Vietnam to discuss and promote negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Vietnam and the UAE and issues to implement the orientations agreed upon by the leaders of the two sides during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit and attendance at the COP28 Conference at the end of 2023.
Thanking the UAE for its warm welcome to the Vietnamese delegation on the occasion of attending COP28, the Prime Minister congratulated the success of COP28, affirmed the prestige, role and position of the UAE and said that Vietnam will continue to support the UAE in organizing other international events.
The Prime Minister stated that 2023 is a successful year in Vietnam-UAE relations, especially on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries; respectfully conveyed the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong to the UAE President to visit Vietnam soon in the near future.
The Prime Minister said that the UAE is undergoing digital transformation, green transformation and developing very quickly, and is one of Vietnam's leading economic partners in the Middle East; the two economies have very complementary strengths and Vietnam can study and refer to the UAE's experiences in development.
Prime Minister and Minister of State Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi were pleased to note that the friendly relations and good economic cooperation between the two countries have had positive developments in many fields in recent times. However, bilateral trade turnover is still not commensurate with the potential of the two countries.
In 2023, the bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and the UAE will reach 4.7 billion USD, an increase of 5.9% compared to 2022. The UAE currently has 40 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam, with a total capital of 71.7 million USD.
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the efforts of the Secretary of State in directing the UAE negotiating delegation to coordinate with the Vietnamese side to negotiate the CEPA Agreement to achieve positive results in the recent past. The Prime Minister said that Vietnam has a lot of experience in having signed 16 FTAs with more than 60 of the world's largest economies and has played an important role in forming a number of multilateral economic agreements such as CPTPP, RCEP... The Prime Minister suggested that on the basis of political trust, the two sides continue to make efforts to resolve issues of mutual concern with different opinions and quickly conclude the CEPA negotiations in the spirit of harmonious interests, shared risks, and overall and long-term mutual benefits.
The Prime Minister also asked the UAE to encourage investment funds to operate more in Vietnam, study and negotiate the Vietnam-UAE Investment Protection Agreement; support Vietnam in building and operating the International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City, the National Innovation Center (NIC); develop the Halal food industry; cooperate in the energy sector; cooperate in football, establish a youth football training academy in Vietnam; cooperate in culture, etc.
Minister of State Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said that the UAE President highly appreciated Vietnam's activities and contributions at COP 28, and the President is expected to visit Vietnam soon at the invitation of Vietnamese leaders.
Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi emphasized that the two sides still have great potential for cooperation in economics, trade, investment, especially in the fields of Halal food, energy, oil and gas, labor, etc.
UAE businesses are implementing specific cooperation projects in the Halal sector with very positive assessments of Vietnam, planning to build a Halal food center in Vietnam this year. In contrast, in the past year, 61 new Vietnamese companies have registered to invest, operate and cooperate in the UAE.
Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said that the UAE is committed to continuing to cooperate with Vietnam, especially in the contents and fields that the Prime Minister has commented on, including negotiating the CEPA, studying the negotiation of the investment protection agreement, football cooperation, and continuing to promote UAE enterprises to cooperate and invest with Vietnam in the direction of increasing added value.
Vietnam is one of the leading exporting countries, the UAE wants to play a role as one of the sustainable suppliers to Vietnam, Mr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi affirmed.
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