Vietnam and Israel signed an agreement to boost economic cooperation, particularly on science and technology.
The deal was reached during Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen
Quan’s visit to Israel from September 28 – October 2 to attend the
first meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic and
Technological Cooperation.
Quan, addressing the signing
ceremony, said both sides would not only facilitate the exchange of
scientists but also expand into human resources training and research.
Vietnam hoped to develop technology in the fields of
agriculture and cyber security and safety with Israel, he said, and
pledged maximum support to Israeli investors.
The country looked forward to launching talks on a free trade agreement with Israel as soon as possible, Quan added.
Israeli Economic Minister Naftali Bennett, for his part, expressed
his hope for the value of bilateral trade to cross the threshold of 1
billion USD this year.
Agreeing with Bennett, the Ministry of
the Economy’s Trade Attaché Tzafrir Assaf said Vietnam was becoming
increasingly attractive for small and medium-sized Israeli high-tech
companies.
Last year, Israel exported goods worth 702 million
USD to Vietnam and spent 413.2 million USD on imports, mostly garments
and footwear.
Its major earners are electronics, chemicals, fertilisers, paint and telecommunication products.-VNA