Davos (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue anda Vietnamese delegation on January 23 morning attended the 48thannual meeting of the WorldEconomic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Hue attendedthe plenary opening session of the event and delivered a speech at a meeting ofthe ASEAN Regional Strategic Group, where he urged the group to cooperate with theGovernments of the ASEAN member countries to take solutions to promoting regionalprosperity in the context of challenges and changes facing the region and theworld at large.

He said thegroup should focus discussions on strategic issues such as maintaining dynamicdevelopment, competitiveness and self-improvement of the ten-member group,promoting the equal development of the ASEAN Community, raising the centralrole played by ASEAN in cooperation mechanisms and regional security, andboosting intra-bloc cooperation and connectivity.

Vietnamalways stands ready to hold dialogues and closely coordinate with other ASEANnations, its partners and businesses, he said, noting that the country isclosely coordinating with the WEF in preparations for the WEF-ASEAN conference scheduledfor September 2018 in Hanoi.

On thisoccasion, Deputy PM Hue met with Johann Schneider-Ammann, a member of theSwitzerland Federal Council.

Both sidesshared the views that the Vietnam-Switzerland relationship is developingfruitfully, with economic cooperation having encouraging outcomes.

They agreedto step up the bilateral coordination at multilateral forums while pushingnegotiations of the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association to which Switzerland is a member.

DeputyPM Hue highly valued the Swiss Government’s commitment to maintaining itsofficial development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam during 2017-2020 and called onthe country to continue its support to the country in developing a high-qualityeducation system and combining scientific and technological research witheducation, and increase scholarships for Vietnamese students.

Healso had a meeting with the Qualcomm Vice President,suggesting the group cooperate with Vietnam in innovative start-ups ininformation-technology, share its experience in innovation, and boostcollaboration in human resources development in the telecommunications sector,thus meeting requirements of the fourth industrial revolution and the digitaleconomy in Vietnam.

Within the framework of the WEF,the Deputy PM on January 22 had a working session with Zurich Airport, theworld’s leading group in investment and aviation management in Zurich.

The group is now interested in partneringwith Vietnam in airport projects, including the Long Thanh InternationalAirport, as well as in training and the transfer of managerial technologies.

The same day, the VietnameseMinistry of Planning and Investment, the Vietnamese Embassy in Berne and BellCapital co-organised the Vietnam Investment Forum in Zurich.

Themed “Creating a Shared Future in a FracturedWorld,” this year’s WEF Davos attractsmore than 3,000 delegates, who are leaders of many countries, majorinternational organisations, the world’s leading groups and non-governmentalorganisations.-VNA