Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse arrive at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands on July 8. (Photo: VNA)Amsterdam (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc, his spouse and entourage arrived in Amsterdam on late July 8 (local time),commencing a visit to the Netherlands at the invitation of his Dutchcounterpart Mark Rutte.
He was greeted at Schiphol Amsterdam airport by DutchMinister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and diplomats from Vietnam andthe Netherlands.
During his visit to the Netherland until July 11, PrimeMinister Phuc will meet with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte. The two leaders willwitness the signing of documents for cooperation between the two governmentsand businesses from the two countries.
He is also scheduled to meet with leaders of the Dutchparliament and senior governmental and local officials as well asrepresentatives of the International Court of Justice and International Courtof Arbitration. He will attend a Vietnam-Netherlands business forum and around-table talk with major enterprises and investors from the host country.
The visit which lasts till July 11 takes place at a time whenVietnam and the Netherlands are enjoying comprehensive development in theirrelations, setting a model for dynamic and effective cooperation between aSoutheast Asian country and a European nation.
The two countries have defined climate changeadaptation, water management, agriculture, energy, sea-based economy, andlogistics services as prioritised cooperative fields.
Bilateral trade has continuously increased in recent yearswith Vietnam recording trade surplus. The Netherlands is now one of the biggestexport markets of Vietnam in Europe.
In the first five months of 2017, two-way trade hit 2.9billion USD. Vietnam mainly exported seafood, vegetables and fruit, cashew nut,coffee, peppercorn, rice, chemical products, and plastics, while importingmachines, equipment, automobile spare parts, and dairy and pharmaceuticalproducts.
The Netherlands is among the largest European investors inVietnam, ranking 11th out of the 119 countries and territories investing inVietnam with 287 projects worth 7.7 billion USD.
After establishing diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1973, theNetherlands began providing non-refundable official development assistance(ODA) for the Southeast Asian country, mainly in humanitarian activities,education-training, and healthcare.
From January 2014, the Netherlands shifted itsrelations with Vietnam to “trade partnership” with a focus on promotingbilateral trade and investment.
In 2010, the two sides established a strategic partnership onclimate change adaptation and water management. Later in 2014, they signeda strategic partnership agreement on sustainable agriculture and foodsecurity.-VNA
