In his speech at a get-together to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Brussels on February 8, Quang said the strong development of the Vietnam - EU and Vietnam - Belgium relationships is evidence to prove Vietnam’s increasing position on the international arena.

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Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Vu Anh Quang speaks at the get-together.

The diplomat also briefed participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in 2019.

Vietnam is currently one of the Asia-Pacific countries with the most intensive and extensive relations with the EU within the framework of comprehensive cooperative partnership in terms of politics, economy, trade-investment, and defense-security, he said.

Among ASEAN member states, Vietnam is the third country to sign a partnership and cooperation agreement and the second to ink a free trade agreement and an investment protection agreement with the EU, which are expected to be approved by the European Parliament on February 12.

According to the ambassador, Belgium is currently Vietnam's 7th largest agricultural export market in the EU. In 2019, two-way trade exceeded 3 billion USD, of which Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of nearly 2 billion USD with Belgium.

Belgian businesses have poured over 1 billion USD into Vietnam, ranking 23rd among 131 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation, Quang noted.

Source: VNA