Lisbon (VNA) – Senior officials ofthe parliament and government of Portugal have expressed the country’s strongcommitment to substantively enhancing relations with Vietnam while meeting witha delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in Lisbon.

The delegation, led by Politburo member,Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and head of the CPV Central Committee’sEconomic Commission Nguyen Van Binh, paid a working visit to Portugal onSeptember 19 and 20.

At the working sessions with Vice President ofthe Portuguese parliament Jorge Lacao and Secretary of State forInternationalisation of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry Eurico Brilhante Dias,Binh highly valued the traditional relationship between the two countries,including the recent strides in bilateral cooperation. Particularly, theirtrade revenue topped 500 million in 2018, compared to just around 300 millionUSD several years ago.

He thanked Portugal for supporting Vietnam’scandidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for2020-2021 and the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) andInvestment Protection Agreement (IPA).

The official also asked the country to continueadvocating the ratification of these deals at the Portuguese and Europeanparliaments. He expressed his belief that after being ratified, the agreementswill open up a new chapter for trade, economic and investment ties betweenVietnam and the EU, including in the industries Portugal has strength in likenavigation, tourism, petrochemistry and mining.

Binh also took this occasion to inform thePortuguese side about the recent complex developments in the East Sea, callingon the country to back Vietnam’s stance on this issue.

For their part, Vice President of the Assemblyof the Republic Jorge Lacao and Secretary of State of the Foreign MinistryEurico Brilhante Dias pledged to substantively enhance the two countries’relations, affirming that Portugal attaches importance to Vietnam in itsstrategy for promoting ties with ASEAN in not only economy but alsopeople-to-people exchange.

The host officials also showed their support forBinh’s proposal on increasing the teaching of Portuguese language in Vietnam.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Jorge Lacaoexpressed his attention to ensuring trade and law compliance at sea. Meanwhile,Eurico Brilhante Dias shared the view that sea-related disputes should besettled through negotiations and dialogue.

The Secretary of State added as Vietnam willtake over the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and Portugal will hold the EU Presidency in2021, they will have numerous chances to strengthen cooperation between Vietnamand the EU, between Portugal and ASEAN, as well as between ASEAN and the EU.

At a meeting with representatives of thePortuguese agency for investment promotion and business support and some localenterprises, Binh talked about investment and business opportunities inVietnam, along with the country’s economic advantages with a market of nearly100 million people and as part of larger markets within the framework of ASEAN,the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership(CPTPP), the EVFTA and some other FTAs.

In response, the Portuguese firms said theyconsider Vietnam a priority for cooperation with and want to carry outlong-term investment and business operations there.


During the talks with permanent member of thePortuguese Communist Party (PCP)’s Secretariat Jose Capucho and other seniorofficials of the party, Binh underlined Vietnam’s development achievements,preparations for the CPV’s 13th National Congress in early 2021, along with theescalation of tensions in the East Sea recently.

He asked the PCP to continue coordinating withthe CPV in multilateral activities of political parties. He also proposed thePCP, with its stature and prestige in Portugal and the European Parliament,support the ratification of the EVFTA and the IPA.

Welcoming the CPV delegation, the PCP officialssaid the visit is an importance chance to intensify mutual understanding andfriendship between the two parties and the two peoples. They also informedtheir guests about the PCP’s efforts to protect the interests of the workingclass in Portugal.

Discussing the East Sea situation, theyexpressed their party’s consistent support for Vietnam’s stance that isdisputes must be resolved by negotiations and peaceful measures on the basis ofinternational law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Following the trip to Portugal, the CPVdelegation will visit Spain and attend the EU-Asia Connectivity Forum held bythe European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium./.