Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal yesterday said they were determined to further strengthen co-operation between the two countries.
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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (standing, left) and Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal (standing, right) yesterday witnessed the signing of an MoU on tourism co-operation between the two countries in Algiers. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam |
Sellal welcomed Dung's visit, saying it highlighted the traditional friendship between Viet Nam and Algeria. He also praised Viet Nam's socio-economic development and expressed the hope that the two countries would continue to co-operate and support each other.
"Algeria has always supported Viet Nam when support was needed and vice versa. The two countries will continue to foster friendship and further our co-operation in the future," he said.
Dung responded that Viet Nam always considers Algeria a close and long-time friend. He said there was a lot of room for improvement in bilateral co-operation.
The two leaders agreed that measures would have to be taken to increase bilateral trade from US$250 million to $1 billion in the near future by boosting co-operation in heavy and light industries, agriculture, mining, textile, finance and banking as well as other sectors.
Sellal said Algeria welcomed Vietnamese enterprises to invest in its petroleum, housing and industrial sectors. Vietnamese enterprises would receive the best possible support for their operations in the country, he pledged.
Dung said Viet Nam supported Algeria's effort to join the World Trade Organisation and was willing to work together with the country to widen the scope of bilateral co-operation in education, cultural exchange, judiciary as well as defence and security matters.
The Algerian PM reiterated his country's stance on the East Sea issue, saying disputes should be settled peacefully through negotiations and in line with international law and his country was ready to contribute to the process.
At the end of their meeting, the two leaders attended the signing of bilateral co-operation agreements on tourism, culture and healthcare.
Meets top legislator
Also yesterday, PM Dung met with Abdelkader Bensalah, Speaker of the Algerian Parliament's Upper House.
Bensalah hailed the friendship between the two Governments and peoples, especially in their respective freedom struggles.
He promised the Algerian Parliament's support in facilitating bilateral co-operation, especially on issues of mutual concern at regional and international levels.
Dung said he wanted the two countries to continue to support each other at multilateral forums as well as within international organisations.
He conveyed Vietnamese NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung's invitation for Speaker Abdelkader Bensalah to visit Viet Nam.
Business dialogue
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Sunday chaired a Viet Nam-Algeria business dialogue in Algiers, which gathered nearly 300 enterprises from both countries.
Addressing the event, the PM stated that investment and the potential for trade co-operation between the two sides was abundant, expressing his belief that the dialogue would provide a chance to realise joint projects between the two countries.
He said that Viet Nam and Algeria had shared a sound traditional friendship and offered mutual support during their respective national struggles for independence and development. Progress had also been made in bilateral ties, he noted.
The Government leader also briefed participants on the socio-economic achievements of Viet Nam, highlighting that the country was an attractive investment destination for foreign investors. Currently, 101 countries and territories are investing in Viet Nam, with 18,220 FDI projects worth about US$260 billion.
According to a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development last year, Viet Nam ranked ninth in the world in terms of investment attractiveness, said the PM, adding that Viet Nam was trying hard to improve its investment environment and design preferential policies that were more competitive than other regional countries.
Viet Nam was implementing comprehensive international integration policies, said the leader, noting that Viet Nam was also working with other ASEAN countries to build the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of this year.
Viet Nam had signed free trade agreements with the Republic of Korea and the Eurasia Economic Union, and was expecting to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership soon, he said.
With the hope of reaching 14 free trade agreements soon, Viet Nam would become an important link in a massive economic chain with 55 partners including 15 G-20 members. By that time, Viet Nam was expected to act as a key gateway for Algerian businesses to enter the ASEAN market, as well as the US and Asia-Pacific, he asserted.
The PM said that Viet Nam was a world-leading producer and exporter of a number of products, including rice, coffee, garments, textiles and electronics. The country was also strong in agricultural products, seafood, mechanics and oil and gas, he noted.
The PM revealed that Viet Nam was striving to lure more environmentally-friendly FDI projects with high added value and high technology, especially in infrastructure, renewable and green energy, processing, manufacturing, information technology, agriculture and high-quality services.
He called for Algerian enterprises' co-operation for projects in mining, energy, telecommunications, IT, construction, consumer goods production and agriculture in Viet Nam, while suggesting that Vietnamese firms seek investment opportunities and increase exports of Vietnamese products to Algeria, while importing more Algerian oil and gas products.
PM Dung also voiced his hope that the Algerian Government and partners would create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to engage in infrastructure and housing projects in Algeria, as well as providing labourers to the market.
During the dialogue, the PM also answered question from Algerian firms about his Government's investment policies./.