Athens (VNA) – Vietnam and Greeceshould tap cooperation in fields of their strength such as navigation, servicesand tourism, Politburo member and Head of the CommunistParty of Vietnam Central Committee's Economic Commission Nguyen VanBinh has said.

He made the suggestion at a meeting with GreekDeputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos on September 17 as part of hisvisit to the European country from September 14 to 18.

Trade relations between Vietnam and Greece haveseen positive strides in recent years, but are not on par with potential, Binhsaid, noting that two-way trade hit 330 million USD in 2018.

He thanked Greece for supporting Vietnam’s bid fora non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021, aswell as the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) andInvestment Protection Agreement (IPA).

The Vietnamese official also exchanged viewswith his host on the complicated situation in the East Sea in recent times, andvoiced his hope that Greece will pay attention to this important shippingroute. 

He called on Greece to support Vietnam toaddress disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means, including diplomatic andlegal measures, seriously implementing international law, especially the 1982United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and resolutely opposingthe use of force or threats to use force.

The official suggested the two sides enhancedelegation exchanges to boost mutual understanding and cooperation as well asstrengthen coordination mechanisms, particularly when Vietnam takes the rotaryASEAN Chairmanship and becomes a member of the UN Security Council in 2020.

For his part, Deputy PM Pikrammenos said Greecesupports international freedom of navigation as well as Vietnam’s viewpointsand policies in settling disputes in the East Sea.

Greece also backs the ratification of theEVFTA-IPA, Pikrammenos said, calling on the two sides to cooperate in fields oftheir strengths like marine transport and tourism.

The same day, Binh had a working session withGreek Minister for Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis, during which hehighlighted the economic development situation in Vietnam and called forinvestment and cooperation from Greek enterprises, while
Georgiadis spoke highly of the economic reformand development of Vietnam over the past time.

Earlier on September 16, Binh attended aworkshop with Greek businesses to call for investment in navigation. He alsomet with overseas Vietnamese in Greece.

On September 18, he is scheduled to work withthe Communist Party of Greece to deepen ties, and attend a business forum exploring Southeast Asia./.