Brussels (VNA) – Portugalwishes to invest in sectors of its strength such as tourism, infrastructureconstruction, renewable energy and particularly marine economy in Vietnam, a Portuguesesenior official has said.

Secretary of Stateof Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Teresa Ribeiro made the statementduring her reception for a delegation led by Head of the Communist Party ofVietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoang BinhQuan who is attending the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of Portugal inLisbonne from December 2-4.

She discussed with the delegation measuresto tighten the bilateral relations in all fields including economy, politicsand culture.

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

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

They also suggested the two countriesorganise frequent political consultations and support each other in training, whileagreeing to work together in the tri-party cooperation framework with a countryin the Portuguese-speaking community, such as Angola, Mozambique, or TimorLeste.

A Portuguese language training centre wasrecently established under the Hanoi University, the first of its kind inVietnam.

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

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

His country will playan active role in accelerating the EVFTA approval, bringing Vietnam and the EUcloser together, he added.

For his part, Qanupdated the host parliamentarians on the East Sea situation and Vietnam’s policyof solving the disputes by peaceful measures in line with the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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


Pinto affirmed Portugal’sstrong support for maritime freedom in the East Sea, saying that Portugal, as acoastal nation, is interested in freedom of navigation and the maintenance ofopen seas.

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

Vietnam and Portugalhave recently witnessed a remarkable progress in their relationship, withregular exchanges and meetings between the two communist parties.-VNA