Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister of the NetherlandsMark Rutte will pay an official visit to Vietnam on April 9 at the invitationof Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The two countries established diplomatic relations on April9, 1973. Right after the establishment, the European country started to provideofficial development assistance and grants to Vietnam, mostly in the field ofhuman activities, education and training, and health care. Currently theNetherlands takes Vietnam as a priority partner. The two sides regularlyexchange high-level delegations.

Bilateral relations serve as an example of the dynamic andeffective ties between Vietnam and a European country. The friendship andcooperation between the two countries have been developing well in every field.

The two sides are also actively cooperating with each other atinternational and regional multilateral organisations and forums, especially inthe framework of the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Theyoften have high-level contacts on the sidelines of major conferences.

Regarding the East Sea, the Netherlands maintains a positivestance on the issues relating to security, peace and stability in the region,and holds that the sides concerned should practice self-restraint and solve thedisputes by peaceful and cooperative means, with respect to international law,especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It alsopraises Vietnam’s rising role in solving the East Sea issue as well as contributionsto regional peace and security.

Over the past years, trade between Vietnam and theNetherlands has unceasingly developed, with Vietnam enjoying a surplus.Currently the Netherlands is one of Vietnam’s largest export markets in Europe.Two-way trade value last year amounted to 7.84 billion USD, with Vietnam mainlyexporting seafood, vegetables, cashew nut, coffee, pepper and rice whileimporting food, animal feeds and materials, chemicals, pharmaceutical productsand plastics.

In the recent years, the Netherlands has maintained theposition of one of the biggest European investors in Vietnam. In the period fromJanuary 1, 1988 to Decmeber 31, 2018, the Netherlands ranked 10th among the 129 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 318 projectstotally valued at over 9.3 billion USD, mainly located in the south.

On national defence and security, the two sides mainly joinhands in implementing contracts to build ships with the Damen group. Adelegation of the Dutch military attaches in Asia visited Vietnam in March 2016and Vietnam sent trainees to peacekeeping courses in the Netherland the sameyear.

Since 2015, the Dutch side has helped Vietnam implementprogrammes aimed at improving the capacity to realize the United Nationconvention against torture and punishment held in Vietnam.

In education, the Netherlands has helped Vietnam in various projects.Many Vietnamese universities and institutes have set up cooperation relationswith their Dutch partners. Vietnamese students studying in the Netherlands mainlyfocus on economics, business management, science and technology. Since 2006, about170 Vietnamese students go to the Netherlands each year on average.

Besides, the two sides also cooperate in the fields ofclimate change, navigation and aviation, and customs. Many localities inVietnam are also enjoying close and effective cooperation with those in theNetherlands.

The coming visit by the Dutch leader shows that the twosides attach great importance to their relations of friendship and cooperation,and hope to raise them to a comprehensive partnership so as to further push upbilateral ties.-VNA