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| Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Van Dung (sixth, from left) receives Jan Bartosek (fifth, from left), Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic on May 25. Photo: VNA |
Ho Chi Minh City has placed great emphasis on strengthening trade and investment ties with the Czech Republic, said Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Council, during his meeting with Jan Bartosek, Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, in the southern city on May 25, according to reports from Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Dung declared that the city is eager to provide a conducive environment for Czech businesses to invest and conduct long-term operations in the municipality.
Ho Chi Minh City (HCM City) aims to welcome more Czech tourists in the near future, and to strengthen its educational and training efforts with the Czech Republic in order to develop a high-quality human resources pool for its future progress, according to the city’s Mayor.
Bartosek enthused over the rapid progress in the relations between the two countries.
He expressed enthusiasm for the Prague Club in Ho Chi Minh City and expressed his hope that both the Ho Chi Minh City authorities and the Prague Club will offer their support and take part in the events held by the Czech Cultural Centre once the agency is established in Hanoi.
The lawmaker asserted that, through joint efforts of both countries, the relationship between the Czech Republic and Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh City, will see significant growth in the forthcoming period, particularly in areas of common interest such as tourism, agriculture, higher education and training, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament Jan Bartosek. Photo: VNA |
On the occasion of his visit to Hanoi, the Chairman of the Czech Republic’s National Assembly, Jan Bartosek, was warmly welcomed by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. During their meeting, Chairman Hue affirmed that the Czech Republic is a very important partner of Vietnam in Central-Eastern Europe, and expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to strengthen their friendship and cooperation.
Hue hailed the outcomes of the talks between Bartosek and NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai, which took place earlier the same day, and stressed that the Czech legislator’s Vietnam visit contributes to boosting cooperation between the two countries in general and their legislative bodies in particular.
Speaking highly of the Czech Republic’s acknowledgement of the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group in the country, Hue said the recognition will strengthen bilateral relations.
For his part, Bartosek expressed his hope that the two countries will open direct flights in order to forge their tourism cooperation and promote their trade ties in a more balanced fashion.
Hosts and guests both concurred that, with the introduction of direct flights between the two countries, tourism could become an especially fruitful area of collaboration. Not only this, but the direct flights would also lead to increased cooperation between the two countries in terms of trade, investment, and people-to-people exchange.
Last year, two-way trade reached a record-breaking USD 848 million—a staggering 15% increase from 2021—which, however, has yet to match the two economies’ potential and desires, Hue said, emphasizing that the two economies are reciprocal.
Vietnam is eager to export numerous products to the EU, including the Czech Republic, in accordance with the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, and, in return, Vietnam will facilitate the access of Czech goods to its market, he continued.
Regarding the legislative ties, the Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) suggested that the two sides continue to promote delegation exchanges and contemplate the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese legislature and the Czech Chamber of Deputies in order to replace the one signed in 2009.
Bartosek affirmed that the Vietnamese community forms an integral part of the Czech society, and has helped build a friendship bridge between the two countries. The official expressed his hope for stronger collaboration in education and training, promising that the Czech Republic will grant scholarships to Vietnamese postgraduate students.
Hue suggested that the Czech Republic urge other EU countries to swiftly ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement, and for the European Commission (EC) to quickly remove its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood.
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