Can Tho (VNA) – Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc met with foreign diplomats in Vietnam attending the Conference onSustainable and Climate-Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta in Can Tho cityon September 27, calling for more support from foreign countries for the delta.

At a reception for German Ambassador Christian Berger, the leader said thediplomat’s attendance at the event demonstrates the German Government’sattention to sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.

The Vietnamese Government thanked the German Government for its effectivecooperation and support, he said, adding that such German-assisted programmeshave significantly contributed to Vietnam’s socio-economic development,particularly in vocational training, energy, environmental protection andclimate change response.

The PM noted his hope that the German Government will continue its support tothe Mekong Delta in development planning.

Vietnam always regards Germany as the country’s leading trust-worthy andimportant European partner, he said, urging the two sides to maintain regularmeetings in order to enhance their mutual trust and deepen the bilateral tiesacross fields.

In reply, Ambassador Christian Berger pledged to hold working sessions withrelevant Vietnamese agencies to accelerate bilateral cooperation in sustainableand climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta.

The diplomat expressed his wish that the Vietnamese and German Governments willcontinue scaling up their cooperation, looking towards a better future for thetwo countries’ people.

Christian Berger also said he hopes that pragmatic cooperation initiativesbetween Vietnam and other countries and development partners, includingGermany, will be raised at the conference, helping to transform challengesposed by climate change into opportunities.

At a meeting with Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick, PM Phucexpressed his belief that the diplomat’s attendance at the conference will helpadvance collaboration between the two countries more practically andeffectively.

Craig Chittick said Australia has rolled out many support and cooperationprogrammes in the Mekong Delta, noting that the Australian Government willcontinue its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam while mobilisingresources for the country to develop the delta.

The Australian Government will also assist Vietnam in the spirit of innovativepartnership, helping the country improve quality and productivity inagricultural production, he said.

Welcoming Swedish Ambassador Pereric Hogberg, PM Phuc called on the diplomat todo more for the cooperation between Vietnam and Sweden.

Pereric Hogberg said Sweden always heeds the development of the Mekong Delta.The Swedish Government has ratified a package worth more than 5 million USD tosupport the Mekong Delta Commission.

Meeting with Jun Yanagi, an envoy of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, theVietnamese leader praised Japan’s assistance to the development of the MekongDelta.

Vietnam attaches importance to developing its relationship with Japan in thespirit of the extensive strategic partnership, for peace and prosperity inAsia, he said.

The host urged the two sides to closely coordinate with each other in preparingthe visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to attend the APEC EconomicLeaders’ Week slated for November.

Jun Yanagi lauded PM Phuc’s initiatives to organise the conference in order tomobilise all resources for the development of the climate change-hit delta,emphasising that climate change response is one of the main pillars of Japan-Vietnamcooperation.-VNA