Portugal wishes to invest in sectors of its strength such as tourism, infrastructure construction, renewable energy and particularly marine economy in Vietnam, a Portuguese senior official has said.

Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Teresa Ribeiro made the statement during her reception for a delegation led by Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan who is attending the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of Portugal in Lisbon from December 2-4.

She discussed with the delegation measures to tighten the bilateral relations in all fields including economy, politics and culture.

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The two sides pledged to increase exchanges between their businesses and investors, thus promoting economic-trade and investment cooperation between the two nations.

In 2015, the two nations’ trade value was estimated at USD 400 million. It is expected to reach USD 1 billion in the coming time.

They also suggested the two countries organize frequent political consultations and support each other in training, while agreeing to work together in the tri-party cooperation framework with a country in the Portuguese-speaking community, such as Angola, Mozambique, or Timor Leste.

A Portuguese language training center was recently established under the Hanoi University, the first of its kind in Vietnam.

The same day, Quan had a working session with the Portuguese Parliamentary Committee for External Relations.

Chairman of the committee Sergio Sousa Pinto highlighted the significance of the Europe-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) to both Vietnam and the EU, pledging that Portugal will consider the ratification of the deal soon.

His country will play an active role in accelerating the EVFTA approval, bringing Vietnam and the EU closer together, he added.

For his part, Quan updated the host parliamentarians on the East Sea (South China Sea) situation and Vietnam’s policy of solving the disputes by peaceful measures in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He noted that the East Sea involves the interests of the world, including Portugal, as 40 percent of global goods are transported via the waters.

Pinto affirmed Portugal’s strong support for maritime freedom in the East Sea, saying that Portugal, as a coastal nation, is interested in freedom of navigation and the maintenance of open seas.

No countries can close the marine routes in the world, he added.

Vietnam and Portugal have recently witnessed a remarkable progress in their relationship, with regular exchanges and meetings between the two communist parties.

Source: VNA