Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamwill spare no effort to further promote its relations with the European Union(EU), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said while receiving Federica Mogherini,Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the EU forForeign Affairs and Security Policy, in Hanoi on August 5.

PM Phuc said the bilateralties have seen positive and strategic development in recent time, thus strengtheningthe EU-ASEAN partnership and making significant contributions to regional peaceand stability.

The two sides haveeffectively carried out a wide range of cooperation mechanisms, including the jointcommittee under the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and CooperationFramework Agreement (PCA) and the EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, he said,adding they have begun implementing the Voluntary Partnership Agreement onForest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT).

The PM spoke highly of thesigning of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-VietnamInvestment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and proposed the European Parliament soonratify the pacts so that both sides can realise their cooperationopportunities, and affirm their commitments to free trade and investment.

He also recommended the EU to continue assisting Vietnam in implementing measuresto remove the “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood and fight againstillegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Besides, he suggested the EUcreate favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to expand their marketsin the EU.

Hailing the fruitful defence cooperation between the two sides in the pasttime, PM Phuc expressed his hope that together with other bilateral agreementson science-technology and environmental protection, Vietnam and the EU will inka Framework Participation Agreement (FPA) for peace, cooperation anddevelopment.

Welcoming the EU’s and Mogherini’sinterests in the Southeast Asian region, PM Phuc expected that the EU-ASEANties and the Vietnam-EU cooperation will be further enhanced in 2020 whenVietnam assumes the role as the ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure.

Vietnam applauds the EU’s stance on supporting freedom, security and safety ofnavigation in the East Sea, he said, recommending the EU to maintain its viewpointon heightening respect for international law, including the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), settling disputes through peacefulmeans, and not complicating the situation in the waters, contributing tomaintaining peace, stability, and freedom, security and safety of navigationand aviation in the East Sea.

Mogherini, for her part, stressedthat the Vietnam-EU ties have developed strongly in recent years, thereby helpingto consolidate the EU’s relations with the ASEAN.

She highlighted herexpectations about the EVFTA and the EVIPA, saying the deals lay the foundationsfor the two sides to step up bilateral relations in the future.

Speaking highly ofVietnam’s efforts to improve the ties with the EU across the fields of economy,culture, labour and cyber security, she said they provide a good basis for theEuropean Parliament to adopt the agreements.

The EU official hoped theEU will coordinate more effectively with Vietnam in regional and internationalissues in 2020 when it shoulders the ASEAN Chairmanship and becomes a non-permanentmember at the UNSC.-VNA