Business news

MINSK, 21 December (BelTA) – Vietnam is interested in intensifying cooperation with Belarus in the scientific sector and IT, Vietnam’s Ambassador to Belarus Le Anh told the media ahead of the panel discussion on Belarus-Vietnam in the context of the free trade agreement between the EAEU member states and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 21 December.

“We organize such conferences as today's panel discussion so that entrepreneurs, companies from the two countries could find new ways for interaction." We see a very great potential for cooperation in Belarus in all areas. For example, in addition to the traditional areas where we cooperate very actively, there is also a great potential in the IT sector. We plan to make the focus on this area. Vietnamese delegations will visit Belarus to study the metro construction process. You have great experience in this field, which we are interested in,” said the ambassador.

Ambassador Le Anh said that there are plans to develop closer interaction between scientists of Belarus and Vietnam. “We will invite delegations from your country to send scientists and professors to read lecture in our country. Our scientists will also work together to find new materials that can be later introduced into production,” he said.

According to the ambassador, the mutual relations between Vietnam and Belarus have been recently activated and promoted by the visit of Vietnamese President Chiang Dai Kuang to Belarus in June 2017. “This visit has raised our cooperation to a new level in all the areas, but most importantly in the economic sector. Today's panel discussion is a good opportunity to talk over further plans and develop approaches to the development of our cooperation the next year,” he stressed.

Ambassador Le Anh stated that during the meeting the leaders of Belarus and Vietnam, agreed to increase mutual trade to $500 million. “In January-October 2017, the trade exceeded $130 million. We hope that the mutual trade will reach $170- 180 million by the end of the year,” he said.

The panel discussion on Belarus-Vietnam in the context of the free trade agreement between the EAEU member states and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has been organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Vietnamese Embassy in Belarus. It is planned that the event will take stock of the Belarusian-Vietnamese trade and economic cooperation, consider export-import opportunities and cooperation prospects under the terms of the preferential trade agreement (duty-free import of goods, setting up of joint manufacturing facilities).