The event saw the presence of Vuong Thua Phong, Deputy Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Relations; Pham Sanh Chau, Assistant to the Foreign Minister, Special Representative of the Vietnamese Prime Minister on UNESCO Affairs and Secretary General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; Bui Khac Son, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO); and Anke Van Lancker, Deputy Head of Mission at the Belgian Embassy.
At the exchange in Hanoi on July 20. (Photos: Quang Viet)
Pham Manh Hung, Chairman of the Vietnam-Belgium Friendship Association, who is also Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said since Prince Leopold I became the first king of Belgium 187 years ago, Belgium has swiftly become an industrialised nation with a developed economy and leading science-technology in the world. It currently ranks 21st in the Human Development Index and has won 10 Nobel prizes in different fields.
He expressed his wish that the Belgian people to obtain more achievements to further contribute to the world’s development, prosperity and peace.
Hung added that this year, Vietnam and Belgium celebrate the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, which is a significant milestone in bilateral friendship and cooperation.
The relationship between Vietnam and the Kingdom of Belgium is increasingly tightened through high-ranking political exchanges and in all areas such as development cooperation, economic, education and culture,…Especially in political relations, the two sides regularly held high-ranking delegations, most notably the Belgian Crown Prince's visit to Vietnam (March 2012); visit to the Kingdom of Belgium by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong (January 2013); Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit (October 2014 and December 2015); and the most recent visit of Rudy Huygelen, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Kingdom of Belgium (April 2017), he shared.
Great strides have been seen in bilateral relations over the last four and a half decades, he said, elaborating that Vietnam has become an important Southeast Asian partner of Belgium in all spheres, from politics, economy, trade, culture and education-training to scientific research.
At present, the two sides continue to promote bilateral cooperation and mutual support in multilateral forums and international organisations such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting, the ASEAN-EU cooperation, and the International Organisation of La Francophonie. The two sides agreed to continue to create favorable conditions for market access and enhance business environment, especially in the context of Vietnam and EU countries to sign the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and EU (EVFTA) .
Thousands of Vietnamese students, postgraduates and doctors have been receiving training in the European nation. Notably, more than 2,000 Vietnamese have finished the Solvay Vietnam Master programmes, the official said, describing the positive outcomes of educational partnership as a pride of bilateral relations.
At the exchange, Anke Van Lancker, Deputy Head of Mission at the Belgian Embassy, said the two countries’ friendship and cooperation have been marked with fruitful cooperation in multiple areas such as economy, development and research. Especially, in the field of education and training, more than 2,000 Vietnamese students studying in Belgium and 2,000 graduates from the Solvay Masters Program in Vietnam are the most compelling evidence of the successful cooperation. Highly applicable research results of Vietnamese and Belgian universities are also the successful result of both side cooperation for over 40 years.
She expressed her hope that the Vietnam-Belgium Friendship Association will continue to organise meaningful cultural exchanges to help promote people-to-people diplomacy and enhance the countries’ friendship./.
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