Greece looks to bolster multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam

Hanoi, February 14 (VNA) – Greece wishes to strengthen cooperation in all fields with Vietnam, visiting Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Nikolaos Kotzias has told Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. During their talks in Hanoi on February 13, Kotzias said Greece appreciates Vietnam’s increasingly important role in the region and the world and the country’s achievements in national defence and socio-economic development. Minh expressed his belief that Kotzias's current visit to Vietnam will contributes to deepening friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The two sides expressed their joy at fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and Greece since former President Nguyen Minh Triet’s trip to Greece and former Greek President Karolos Papoulias’s visit to Vietnam, in 2008. They discussed how to further promote cooperation between the two countries, focusing on enhancing all-level visits and effectively deploying cooperation mechanisms like political consultation between the two foreign ministries. They agreed to continue encouraging and making it easier for the two countries’ business communities to foster partnership and share experience, especially in terms of ship building and repairing, maritime shipping service, seaport exploitation and logistics service, education-training, culture and heritage preservation. The two sides were unanimous in accelerating negotiations to soon conclude agreements on avoidance of double taxation, maritime transport, and visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders. Minh and Kotzias also compared their notes on international and regional issues of common concern, and agreed to continue coordinating closely at international and regional forums, especially at the United Nations, the ASEAN-EU, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). As an ASEAN member, Vietnam will help Greece expand cooperation with the grouping and its other member nations, Minh said, whilst Kotzias affirmed that Greece backs Vietnam to boost comprehensive relations with the European Union (EU). After the talks, the two officials met with media to inform the results of their talks./.