Warsaw (VNA) -Vietnam wants to develop traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperationwith Poland, one of its prioritised partners in East-Central Europe, said DeputyPrime Minister Truong Hoa Binh.

Binh has been on an officialvisit to Poland from September 20-22 at the invitation of Polish Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Science and Higher Education Jaroslaw Gowin.

Binh has held talks with Gowin andmet with Marshal of the Senate Stanisław Karczewski and Chief of theChancellery of the President Halina Szymanska.

At these meetings, Binh affirmedthat Vietnam always treasures the precious assistance and support that thePolish people extended to Vietnam during the cause of national liberation andconstruction, especially its help in training thousands of Vietnamesepersonnel.

He congratulated Poland’sachievements in socio-economic development and European integration, while thePolish leaders expressed their impression at Vietnam’s high economic growth,stable society, and growing position in the region and in the world.

The Polish officials stressed thatVietnam has been an important partner of Poland over the past seven decades.

They agreed with Deputy PM Binh’sproposal on soon organising the first meeting of the Vietnam-Poland economiccooperation consultation mechanism and resuming the operation of the jointcommittee for science-technology cooperation, saying that they are ready tosend delegations to Vietnam.

They also concurred with theearly signing of an agreement on degree equivalence and on the establishment ofcooperation mechanisms in security and crime prevention. The Polish officialssaid they would create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese communityliving and studying in Poland.

The two sides agreed to maintainmeetings between their high-ranking officials, and exchange delegations at alllevels, sectors, and localities.

They promised to support eachother in issues of common interest at multilateral forums, particularly at theUnited Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Binh took the occasion to thankPoland for its support for Vietnam’s bid to become a non-permanent member ofthe UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term and stressed his belief thatPoland will achieve more while holding the non-permanent seat of the UNSecurity Council for the 2018-2019 term. 

At their talks, the two DeputyPMs reviewed past collaboration across sectors and reached an agreement onspecific measures to boost bilateral ties.

They applauded the strongdevelopment in bilateral economic-trade-investment ties. Trade between Vietnamand Poland exceeded 1 billion USD last year and hit 750 million USD in thefirst half of 2018, up 50 percent year-on-year. Poland’s direct investment inVietnam increased 2.5 times in the past three years to reach 230 million USD.

To sustain the growth, the twoDeputy PMs agreed to step up trade and investment promotion, as well as createconditions for Vietnamese and Polish firms to network, carry out marketstudies, seek investment opportunities, and form joint ventures in the fieldsof agriculture, food processing, pharmacy, and environmental protection, amongothers.

They affirmed the need to strengthenjudicial cooperation, particularly the negotiation and signing of a regionalagreement on extradition, as well as agreements on the transfer of prisonersand the criminal judicial assistance. They said the establishment ofcollaboration between the two supreme courts and supreme procuracies are alsonecessary.

The Polish leader stressed that Polandis willing to exchange its experience with Vietnam concerning anti-corruptionpolicy and measures.

Gowin and Karczewski agreed withBinh’s view on the importance of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) andstressed their commitments to backing the early signing of the pact in 2018 andits ratification next year.

The Polish officials showed their support towardVietnam’s stance on international and regional matters, including the East Seaissue.–VNA