Hanoi (VNA) – Slovak Prime Minist𝄹er Robert Fico on July 19 concluded his four-day visit to Vietnam, at the invitation of hisꦓ Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During the stay, the Slovak leader held talks with PM Phuc, met Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, attended the Vietnam-Slovakia business forum, met the Vietnam-Slovakia Friendship Association and visited the central city of Da Nang. On the occasion, the two PMs witnessed the signing of various cooperation deals across transport, information and communications, investment and education. In bilateral meetings, both sides informed each other about the political and socio-economic situation, priorities in each country’s external economic policies, discussed specific measures to increase bilateral ties, as well as regional and global issues of shared concern. They agreed to refine legal framework to facilitate joint work across diverse areas, direct thorough preparations for the second meeting of the Vietnam-Slovakia Inter-Governmental Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation in Bratislava, Slovakia in early 2017, as well as intensify coordination across education and training, culture, tourism, law, science and technology. As an active member of the European Union (EU), the Slovak PM expressed his willingness to push forward the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the EU, including the ratification and full implementation of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement. Vietnam, in its role as an active member of ASEAN, is also ready to assist Slovakia in increasing cooperation with the bloc. Both sides vowed to support each other in regional and global issues of shared concern, including climate change and water resources security, the management of Mekong-Danube water resources, and work closely together at the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). They were committed to maintaining peace, promoting maritime and overflight security and freedom and legal trade in the East Sea, while settling disputes of territories and territorial waters by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea.-VNA