Vietnam and Canada agreed to boost their cooperation in a number of
areas that Canada excels in and Vietnam has a demand for,
including economics and trade, science and technology, and education and
training.
The agreement was reached during talks
between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird as part of Minh’s official visit to
Canada on September 29-30.
Deputy PM Pham Binh
Minh stated that Vietnam was dedicated to developing a comprehensive,
stable and long-term partnership with Canada.
He
suggested the two sides increase the exchange of delegations at all
levels, particularly senior level. He proposed Canada continue to create
favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate into
the host country’s society.
He lauded Canada’s
efforts to strengthen its relationship with ASEAN and the Asian-Pacific
region, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in
the region.
Baird spoke highly of Vietnam’s
socio-economic development and international integration, as well as the
role it plays in the region.
He said developing
ties with Vietnam was part of his country’s policy for Asia-Pacific,
sharing his guest’s wish to enhance result-oriented cooperation,
improve bilateral relations and maintain dialogues for deeper mutual
understanding.
After the talks, Minh and Baird
signed an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation between Vietnam ’s
Foreign Ministry and the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade
and Development.
In meetings with Minister of
International Development and La Francophonie Christian Paradis, Deputy
PM Minh thanked Canada for including Vietnam in its list of 25
prioritised ODA recipients.
Paradis said Canada
supported Vietnam ’s efforts to reform the banking system, and
develop small and medium-sized enterprises, vocational training and
sustainable governance.
Meeting with Canadian
Minister of International Trade Ed Fast, Minh asked Canada to open its
doors to Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, and
recognise Vietnam ’s market economy.
Fast said
Vietnam was one of Canada’s strategic priorities for expanding trade,
education and development assistance, expressing his hope that the two
sides would work together to lift bilateral trade to new heights.
During a working session with Canadian Minister of Agriculture and
Agri-Food Gerry Ritz, host and guest agreed that there was room for both
sides to boost agricultural cooperation.
Ritz pledged Canada’s support for Vietnam in terms of bio-technology, genetics, and plant variety development.
During his stay, the Vietnamese Deputy PM held meetings with Canadian
parliament leaders, discussing measures to foster relations between the
two legislative bodies.
He also conveyed the
invitation of the Vietnamese National Assembly leader to the head of the
Canadian Parliament to attend the 132 nd Assembly of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Vietnam in March 2015.-VNA