BUCHAREST — Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu said his country aspires to be the ‘main partner’ of Việt Nam bringing Vietnamese goods and products into Europe with its uncontestable advantages, including the strategic position to access the entire European continent.
He made the remarks as the Romanian Government leader and his Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chính chaired a press conference in Bucharest announcing the outcomes of their official talks on Monday, as part of PM Chính’s ongoing visit to the southeastern European country.
The two leaders said the talks were successful, reaching consensus on orientations to promote cooperation in bilateral ties as well as exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Both parties agreed on the positive evaluation of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Việt Nam and Romania over nearly 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations (1950-2024). This relationship has been continuously cultivated by successive generations of leaders and peoples of both countries.
The Romanian PM said his country would be ready to facilitate infrastructure for collaboration with Vietnamese ports, promoting transport growth; and aim to double trade exchanges to EUR€1 billion in the coming years. He also expressed the intention to encourage major Romanian companies in gas and electricity to develop partnerships with Vietnamese companies.
He considered agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry as two strategic cooperation areas and suggested implementing pilot projects for investment in aquaculture, a field in which Việt Nam has considerable experience.
He also expressed gratitude to Việt Nam for its donation of 10,000 doses of African swine fever vaccine during this visit, expressing the desire for cooperation in technology transfer and investment in the production of this vaccine for the European market.
Regarding education, the Romanian PM affirmed the commitment to maintaining a significant number of Vietnamese students in Romanian universities under training programmes.
On behalf of the Party and the people of Việt Nam, PM Chính expressed gratitude for Romania’s precious support over the past nearly 75 years, standing by Việt Nam in difficult times.
Romania was the first EU member state to show a noble gesture of donating hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses and medical equipment to support Việt Nam in hard times.
Romania also played an active role in signing the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) on June 30, 2019 – the last day Romania held the rotating presidency of the European Council. It was also one of the first EU countries to approve the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
PM Chính also thanked the Romanian Government and people for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living in there, enabling them to integrate well into the local society and serving as a bridge for the friendly relations between the two countries.
The longstanding cooperation tradition, tested over nearly 75 years, was an important foundation and “both sides are at a favourable time and place to promote the relationship to a deeper, more substantial and effective level,” stressed the Vietnamese leader.
