Vietnam and the European Union on August 25 released a joint pressstatement on the occasion of European Commision President José ManuelDurão Barroso’s August 25-26 visit to Vietnam.
Following is the full tex t of the statement.
1. At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic ofVietnam Nguyen Tan Dung, President of the European Commission (EC) JoséManuel Durão Barroso, paid an official visit to Vietnam fromAugust 25-26, 2014.
During the visit, President Jos éManuel Durão Barroso held talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung;paid courtesy calls on General Secretary of Vietnam Communist PartyNguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang; received the Degreeof Doctor Honoris Causae upon H.E. Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso fromNational Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi and addressed NEU students;visited Ho Chi Minh city; had a meeting with the Chairman of the PeopleCommittee of Ho Chi Minh City and met with Vietnamese and Europeanbusinesses.
2. In the spirit of friendship and mutualunderstanding, President José Manuel Durão Barroso and PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung informed each other of the developments in theEuropean Union (EU) and Vietnam, discussed measures to intensifyVietnam-EU multi-faceted cooperation, and exchanged views oninternational and regional issues of mutual interest.
3. Thetwo leaders expressed satisfaction with the impressive development ofbilateral relations. They highly appreciated the Framework Agreement onComprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) between Vietnam and theEU as a qualitative leap in the bilateral partnership, that allowed thebroadening and deepening of relations beyond the traditional areas oftrade and development to include areas such as environment and climatechange, human rights, science and technology, transport, tourism,energy, education and culture, peace and security. Both sides alsowelcomed the increased flow of visits and contact at all levels sincesigning of the PCA, especially the highest level. President Barrosounderlined the commitment of the EU to its relations with Vietnam,appreciating Vietnam's role as important partner for the EU and akey player in ASEAN and internationally.
4. PresidentBarroso expressed his pleasure to return to Vietnam since 2007 andwitness first-hand Vietnam's impressive socio-economic achievements.The two leaders welcomed the deepening of Vietnam-EU economic ties andrapid development of two-way trade and investment. They welcomed thecontinued expansion of bilateral trade and the EU's position asVietnam's largest export market and 2 nd largest trade partner. Theleaders noted that the EU is also one of the largest foreign investorsin Vietnam with a total of EUR 495 million in 2013. PresidentBarroso expressed his belief that Vietnam would continue to be anattractive destination for foreign investors, including Europeaninvestors and businesses.
5. The leaders welcomed the goodprogress in negotiations towards a Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement andexpressed the wish to conclude the negotiations swiftly. They emphasizedthat a mutually-beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will offer newbusiness opportunities for economic operators, enhance inflows ofForeign Direct Investment and promote growth and employment. PresidentBarroso acknowledged the substantial progress Vietnam has made in itstransition to a market economy initiated by the Doi moi policy andencouraged Vietnam to pursue the path of economic reform. The EU andVietnam agreed to intensify the market economy status (MES) processwhich aims at enabling Vietnam to qualify for MES as soon aspossible towards mutually beneficial and equal partnership.
6. Both sides agreed to continue encouraging and facilitating Vietnameseand European businesses to step up investment, business and establishpartnership, particularly in prioritised areas including, among others,industry, infrastructure, transportation, energy, finance, services,health, space applications and tourism.
7. President Barrosoinformed the Prime Minister of Vietnam about the ongoing economicrecovery in the EU. Domestic demand is firming; important reforms havebeen implemented, and growth-friendly fiscal consolidation is bearingfruit. Europe's economic recovery is gradually also reaching thelabour market, where unemployment figures have started to decrease,though they are still at an unacceptably high level. Prime MinisterNguyen Tan Dung highly appreciated the visit by the European CommissionPresident at a time when Vietnam-EU relations had seen significantprogress and both sides were preparing for the celebration of 25 yearsof diplomatic relations (1990-2015). Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dungcongratulated the EU on successfully overcoming the recentmacro-economic challenges and moving forward with the process ofexpansion and integration.
8.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dungappreciated the ratification by a large number of EU Member States ofthe PCA between Vietnam and the EU and expressed hope that theEuropean Parliament and remaining EU Member States would soon ratify thePCA.
9. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung thanked the EU andthe EU Member States for the pledge of EUR 542 million developmentassistance for Vietnam in 2014. The EU and the EU Member States thusremain the largest grant aid donor of Vietnam . President Barrosoassured the EU's continued support to Vietnam's reform process,including through development cooperation. He confirmed the significantincrease of bilateral development assistance to Vietnam from EUR 300million in 2007-2013 to EUR 400 million for the period 2014-2020.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed appreciation for the strongcontribution of the EU to Vietnam’s development efforts and welcomedthe choice of focal sectors "sustainable energy" and "governance andrule of law" as pertinent and well aligned with Vietnam'sdevelopment priorities.
10. The two leadersagreed that good governance, human rights, the rule of law and adherenceto the international rules based system were conducive to developmentinternationally and nationally. President Barroso recognised theprogress of Vietnam in meeting the challenges that come with amodernizing society. In this connection, President Barroso shared thebenefits of vibrant media and internet. The EU side welcomed Vietnam's election to the UN Human Rights Council in November 2013 as sign ofdetermination to further promote and protect human rights.
11. The two sides stressed the importance of ASEAN – EU cooperation tothe region and welcomed the achievements both sides have accomplished inover 37 years of relationship. The two sides appreciated the agreementsmade by both sides' Foreign Ministries during the recent 20th ASEAN –EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in July 2014, including workingtowards the upgrading of the partnership to a strategic one andenhancing cooperation in ASEAN Connectivity and maritime security andsafety. In this regards, the EU highly appreciated the role and effortsof Vietnam as the current Country Coordinator of the ASEAN – EUrelationship and as Co-chair of the Ministerial Meeting in achievingthose results.
President Barroso further stressed strongcommitment to ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture andsupport to ASEAN Community building efforts, including the ASEAN post –2015 Agenda. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reaffirmed supports forEU's enhanced engagement in ASEAN-led regional architecture and in thisconnection, applauded EU's recent doubling of the support for ASEAN toEUR 170 million in the period 2014 - 2020. Both sides agreed to workclosely to further enhance ASEAN – EU relationship.
12. Vietnam welcomed the EU’s commitment to support the sustainabledevelopment of water resources in the Mekong sub-region, includingMekong-Danube cooperation in the ASEM dialogue on SustainableDevelopment, particularly in sustainable water management, environmentalprotection, infrastructure development, public-private partnership,capacity building, etc. in line with the EU Water Diplomacy and supportASEAN centrality in regional cooperation mechanisms.
13.Both sides highly valued the exchanges and cooperation between Vietnamand the EU at multilateral fora and international organizations;agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other on issues ofmutual interest. The two sides recognized the 10 th ASEM Summit (Asia –Europe Meeting) to be held on 16th and 17th October 2014 in Milanas an important opportunity to forge stronger ties between Asia andEurope.
14. The two leaders discussed the ongoing tensionsin the South China Sea/East Sea and agreed that territorial disputesshould be settled peacefully in a spirit of cooperation and respect ofinternational law, including the United nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982). President Barroso reiterated the EU'ssupport for a political-diplomatic process and the rights of claimantsto seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with internationallaw, including through legal dispute settlement mechanisms. PresidentBarroso also affirmed the EU's support of ongoing efforts to worktowards a formal and legally binding Code of Conduct. While hoping thatthese discussions can be intensified and completed as soon as possiblethe EU calls on all parties in the meantime to avoid unilateral actionsthat escalate tensions, threaten peace, stability, maritime security andsafety in the region and abide by all other elements of the Declarationon the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
15.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his conviction that theofficial visit to Vietnam by President of the European CommissionJosé Manuel Durão Barroso would contribute to developing Vietnam–EUmultifaceted cooperation in breadth and depth, bringing about practicalbenefits for both sides, and actively contributing to peace, stability,cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world.
16.President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso extendedan invitation to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to visit the EU inOctober 2014 on the occasion of the Prime Minister’s attendance in the10 th ASEM Summit , and expressed gratitude for the thorough and warmreception reserved by the Vietnamese side for himself and the EuropeanCommission Delegation.-VNA
Following is the full tex t of the statement.
1. At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic ofVietnam Nguyen Tan Dung, President of the European Commission (EC) JoséManuel Durão Barroso, paid an official visit to Vietnam fromAugust 25-26, 2014.
During the visit, President Jos éManuel Durão Barroso held talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung;paid courtesy calls on General Secretary of Vietnam Communist PartyNguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang; received the Degreeof Doctor Honoris Causae upon H.E. Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso fromNational Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi and addressed NEU students;visited Ho Chi Minh city; had a meeting with the Chairman of the PeopleCommittee of Ho Chi Minh City and met with Vietnamese and Europeanbusinesses.
2. In the spirit of friendship and mutualunderstanding, President José Manuel Durão Barroso and PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung informed each other of the developments in theEuropean Union (EU) and Vietnam, discussed measures to intensifyVietnam-EU multi-faceted cooperation, and exchanged views oninternational and regional issues of mutual interest.
3. Thetwo leaders expressed satisfaction with the impressive development ofbilateral relations. They highly appreciated the Framework Agreement onComprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) between Vietnam and theEU as a qualitative leap in the bilateral partnership, that allowed thebroadening and deepening of relations beyond the traditional areas oftrade and development to include areas such as environment and climatechange, human rights, science and technology, transport, tourism,energy, education and culture, peace and security. Both sides alsowelcomed the increased flow of visits and contact at all levels sincesigning of the PCA, especially the highest level. President Barrosounderlined the commitment of the EU to its relations with Vietnam,appreciating Vietnam's role as important partner for the EU and akey player in ASEAN and internationally.
4. PresidentBarroso expressed his pleasure to return to Vietnam since 2007 andwitness first-hand Vietnam's impressive socio-economic achievements.The two leaders welcomed the deepening of Vietnam-EU economic ties andrapid development of two-way trade and investment. They welcomed thecontinued expansion of bilateral trade and the EU's position asVietnam's largest export market and 2 nd largest trade partner. Theleaders noted that the EU is also one of the largest foreign investorsin Vietnam with a total of EUR 495 million in 2013. PresidentBarroso expressed his belief that Vietnam would continue to be anattractive destination for foreign investors, including Europeaninvestors and businesses.
5. The leaders welcomed the goodprogress in negotiations towards a Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement andexpressed the wish to conclude the negotiations swiftly. They emphasizedthat a mutually-beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will offer newbusiness opportunities for economic operators, enhance inflows ofForeign Direct Investment and promote growth and employment. PresidentBarroso acknowledged the substantial progress Vietnam has made in itstransition to a market economy initiated by the Doi moi policy andencouraged Vietnam to pursue the path of economic reform. The EU andVietnam agreed to intensify the market economy status (MES) processwhich aims at enabling Vietnam to qualify for MES as soon aspossible towards mutually beneficial and equal partnership.
6. Both sides agreed to continue encouraging and facilitating Vietnameseand European businesses to step up investment, business and establishpartnership, particularly in prioritised areas including, among others,industry, infrastructure, transportation, energy, finance, services,health, space applications and tourism.
7. President Barrosoinformed the Prime Minister of Vietnam about the ongoing economicrecovery in the EU. Domestic demand is firming; important reforms havebeen implemented, and growth-friendly fiscal consolidation is bearingfruit. Europe's economic recovery is gradually also reaching thelabour market, where unemployment figures have started to decrease,though they are still at an unacceptably high level. Prime MinisterNguyen Tan Dung highly appreciated the visit by the European CommissionPresident at a time when Vietnam-EU relations had seen significantprogress and both sides were preparing for the celebration of 25 yearsof diplomatic relations (1990-2015). Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dungcongratulated the EU on successfully overcoming the recentmacro-economic challenges and moving forward with the process ofexpansion and integration.
8.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dungappreciated the ratification by a large number of EU Member States ofthe PCA between Vietnam and the EU and expressed hope that theEuropean Parliament and remaining EU Member States would soon ratify thePCA.
9. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung thanked the EU andthe EU Member States for the pledge of EUR 542 million developmentassistance for Vietnam in 2014. The EU and the EU Member States thusremain the largest grant aid donor of Vietnam . President Barrosoassured the EU's continued support to Vietnam's reform process,including through development cooperation. He confirmed the significantincrease of bilateral development assistance to Vietnam from EUR 300million in 2007-2013 to EUR 400 million for the period 2014-2020.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed appreciation for the strongcontribution of the EU to Vietnam’s development efforts and welcomedthe choice of focal sectors "sustainable energy" and "governance andrule of law" as pertinent and well aligned with Vietnam'sdevelopment priorities.
10. The two leadersagreed that good governance, human rights, the rule of law and adherenceto the international rules based system were conducive to developmentinternationally and nationally. President Barroso recognised theprogress of Vietnam in meeting the challenges that come with amodernizing society. In this connection, President Barroso shared thebenefits of vibrant media and internet. The EU side welcomed Vietnam's election to the UN Human Rights Council in November 2013 as sign ofdetermination to further promote and protect human rights.
11. The two sides stressed the importance of ASEAN – EU cooperation tothe region and welcomed the achievements both sides have accomplished inover 37 years of relationship. The two sides appreciated the agreementsmade by both sides' Foreign Ministries during the recent 20th ASEAN –EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in July 2014, including workingtowards the upgrading of the partnership to a strategic one andenhancing cooperation in ASEAN Connectivity and maritime security andsafety. In this regards, the EU highly appreciated the role and effortsof Vietnam as the current Country Coordinator of the ASEAN – EUrelationship and as Co-chair of the Ministerial Meeting in achievingthose results.
President Barroso further stressed strongcommitment to ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture andsupport to ASEAN Community building efforts, including the ASEAN post –2015 Agenda. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reaffirmed supports forEU's enhanced engagement in ASEAN-led regional architecture and in thisconnection, applauded EU's recent doubling of the support for ASEAN toEUR 170 million in the period 2014 - 2020. Both sides agreed to workclosely to further enhance ASEAN – EU relationship.
12. Vietnam welcomed the EU’s commitment to support the sustainabledevelopment of water resources in the Mekong sub-region, includingMekong-Danube cooperation in the ASEM dialogue on SustainableDevelopment, particularly in sustainable water management, environmentalprotection, infrastructure development, public-private partnership,capacity building, etc. in line with the EU Water Diplomacy and supportASEAN centrality in regional cooperation mechanisms.
13.Both sides highly valued the exchanges and cooperation between Vietnamand the EU at multilateral fora and international organizations;agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other on issues ofmutual interest. The two sides recognized the 10 th ASEM Summit (Asia –Europe Meeting) to be held on 16th and 17th October 2014 in Milanas an important opportunity to forge stronger ties between Asia andEurope.
14. The two leaders discussed the ongoing tensionsin the South China Sea/East Sea and agreed that territorial disputesshould be settled peacefully in a spirit of cooperation and respect ofinternational law, including the United nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982). President Barroso reiterated the EU'ssupport for a political-diplomatic process and the rights of claimantsto seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with internationallaw, including through legal dispute settlement mechanisms. PresidentBarroso also affirmed the EU's support of ongoing efforts to worktowards a formal and legally binding Code of Conduct. While hoping thatthese discussions can be intensified and completed as soon as possiblethe EU calls on all parties in the meantime to avoid unilateral actionsthat escalate tensions, threaten peace, stability, maritime security andsafety in the region and abide by all other elements of the Declarationon the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
15.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his conviction that theofficial visit to Vietnam by President of the European CommissionJosé Manuel Durão Barroso would contribute to developing Vietnam–EUmultifaceted cooperation in breadth and depth, bringing about practicalbenefits for both sides, and actively contributing to peace, stability,cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world.
16.President of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso extendedan invitation to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to visit the EU inOctober 2014 on the occasion of the Prime Minister’s attendance in the10 th ASEM Summit , and expressed gratitude for the thorough and warmreception reserved by the Vietnamese side for himself and the EuropeanCommission Delegation.-VNA
