Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has suggested that Vietnam and
Israel soon discuss a possible bilateral free trade agreement to
accelerate two-way trade in the future.
Meeting
visiting Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yair
Shamir in Hanoi on October 31, PM Dung urged the prompt formation of
a joint committee to boost cooperation between the two countries.
He voiced his hope that Israel will continue its ODA provision to
Vietnam, focusing on human resources training, infrastructure
development and climate change response.
He said the
two sides should further strengthen cooperation on the application of
high technology in agriculture and telecommunications. The PM pledged
that the Vietnamese Government will create all possible conditions for
Israeli businesses to invest in the field in Vietnam.
Hailing the outcomes of the talks between Yair Shamir and his
Vietnamese counterpart Cao Duc Phat, PM Dung said there is room for both
sides to cooperate, especially in science and technology, agriculture,
defence and security, trade, and investment.
Therefore, he said, both countries should work more closely together to
speed up their cooperation in areas of each side’s strengths for
mutually practical benefits.
In reply, Yair Shamir
said his visit aims to further foster investment cooperation between the
two countries, especially in agriculture.
Expressing his delight with the cooperation results between the two
countries over the past year, the Israeli minister said the two sides
should design a more favourable legal framework to bolster their
cooperation as two-way trade could increase rapidly in the future from
the current figure of over one billion USD.
He
proposed that besides coordinating in agriculture, Vietnam and
Israel should also expand their cooperation in pharmaceuticals, high
technology, chemicals, fertiliser production, and development
cooperation.-VNA