Swiss President Guy Parmelin chaired an official welcome ceremony for President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation at the Lohn Manor Presidential Palace in Bern city on Friday. After the welcome ceremony, the two leaders discussed specific measures to promote Vietnam-Switzerland relations commensurate with their potential and advantages. They agreed to strengthen exchanges and contacts at all levels and between localities of the two countries, thereby promoting bilateral cooperation in all fields.
President Phuc asked the Swiss Government to encourage Swiss businesses to invest in Vietnam, saying that Vietnam is making efforts to create a transparent investment and business environment for foreign enterprises, including those from Switzerland, to operate in Vietnam in the long run.
Both men agreed to soon conclude negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) and to further cooperation in science, technology, education and training towards establishing a partnership framework on innovation.
Thanking the Swiss Government for supporting Vietnam in COVID-19 response, President Phuc suggested the two sides boost production and distribution of vaccines and drugs to treat COVID-19.
The Vietnamese President expected that the Swiss Government will continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to contribute to the development of Switzerland, as well as to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
President Parmelin called Vietnam an effective user of Official Development Assistance (ODA), saying the Swiss Government has decided to continue to prioritize the provision of 70 million Swiss francs (75.6 million USD) of ODA for Vietnam from 2021 to 2024, focusing on environmental protection and economic reform.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation and support each other in multilateral forums and international organizations such as the United Nations and the Eurasian cooperation mechanism.
Vietnam reiterated readiness to strengthen connection between Switzerland and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Switzerland emphasized freedom of navigation, compliance with international law, and dispute settlement based on transparent dialogue and trust building on the East Sea issue.
Source: VOV5