Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on theNetherlands to continue support and cooperate with Vietnam in the fields ofhusbandry, cultivation, food safety, post-harvest network and marketdevelopment.

While receivingDutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development CooperationSigrid Kaag in Hanoi on February 6, PM Phuc said Vietnam is impressed withachievements the Netherlands has recorded in building irrigation works,seaports, high-tech agriculture and especially in adaptation with climatechange.

Thanks to experience shared by the Netherlands, Vietnam successfullyorganised a major conference on climate change response in the Mekong Deltaregion, with the attendance of the Deputy Delta Commissioner ofthe Netherlandsand other experts in this field, he said.

The PMpraised the Netherlands as one of Asia’s leading trade partners, noting thatDutch businesses have invested nearly 8 billion USD in Vietnam.

He urgedthe Government of the Netherlands to encourage Dutch firms to increaseinvestments in Vietnam in various realms, particularly in climate changeresponse and renewable energy.

Vietnam is reformingitself strongly and improving its business environment which has been recognisedby the international community, he said, adding that the country is integratingdeeply into the global economy as reflected through its successful hosting oflarge-scale international events with the most noteworthy being the APECEconomic Leaders’ Week in 2017.

In thatspirit, PM Phuc called on the two nations to further implement the strategicpartnership through specific activities such as updating the Mekong DeltaAction Plan by building a concrete planning scheme for the region; rolling outorientations for regional livelihood restructuring and building regionalconnectivity; stepping up cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi ofVietnam and Rotterdam of the Netherlands, as well as collaboration in personneltraining in the environmental sector.

For herpart, Kaag expressed her delight when seeing the two countries actively preparingfor activities to mark the 45th founding anniversary of diplomaticties.

Theminister believed that the Governments and people of the Netherlands andVietnam will tighten cooperation and accompany with each other in development,looking towards another period of 45 years for their peace and prosperity.

Kaag said she was being accompanied by representatives ofmajor Dutch businesses who want to study the Vietnamese market and seekinvestment and cooperation opportunities in Vietnam in not only traditional sphereslike climate change and high-tech agriculture but also in seaport management,technological development and start-up.

With its strengths, the Netherlands is willing to join handswith Vietnam in agriculture, seaport development and logistics, thus helpinggenerate jobs, spur the country’s economic growth and improve living conditionsof local people, she said.

The Netherlands always stands ready to partner with Vietnamin developing the Mekong Delta in the face of climate change, she said,stressing that through such cooperative activities, the two sides will targethigher efficiency of the implementation of the millennium development goals(MDGs).

The Netherlands is also willing to share its knowledge andexperience with Vietnam and work together with the country during itsdevelopment process, she emphasized.
In reply, PM Phuc said he will instruct relevant agencies tostudy, propose and carry out these cooperative activities, covering waterresources management.

He expressed his hope that Kaag’s visit will create alandmark in promoting comprehensive cooperation between the two countries moreeffectively, on par with the strategic partnership on climate change and waterresources management, and the strategic partnership on sustainable agricultureand food security.-VNA