Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Anatoly Sivak sign the meeting minutes. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Belarus are set to deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields, particularly in economy-trade and science-technology, through their Intergovernmental Committee mechanism, affirmed Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên.

Co-chairing the 16th session of the Việt Nam-Belarus Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation with Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak on April 1, Minister Diên highlighted the commitment to strengthening ties across all sectors.

Deputy PM Sivak reiterated Belarus’s recognition of Việt Nam as a key partner in the region, stressing the need for enhanced collaboration between ministries and businesses to maximise trade and investment opportunities.

The 16th session of the Việt Nam-Belarus Intergovernmental Committee. — VNA/VNS Photo

The session reviewed the progress of previous agreements and acknowledged positive developments in traditional sectors such as diplomacy, trade, industry, agriculture, science, culture, sports, and education. Discussions also explored new areas of cooperation, including construction, health care, and information technology.

Despite achieving many positive outcomes, both sides candidly acknowledged that current bilateral cooperation has yet to fully reflect the potential and strengths of both nations. They agreed to accelerate the implementation of high-level agreements reached during the 2023 visit of Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko to Việt Nam, while actively addressing challenges and exploring new trade solutions.

They agreed to continue working towards facilitating mutual market access for goods, including agricultural products, seafood, dairy products, transport vehicles, and agricultural machinery

Both countries will support and create favourable conditions for businesses to participate in trade fairs and exhibitions, explore trade and investment cooperation opportunities, and fully utilise the benefits provided by the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement.

Notably, both sides stressed the need to explore collaboration in emerging sectors where one country has a competitive advantage and the other has demand. These include foundational industries such as processing, manufacturing, mechanics, materials, and chemicals; and high-tech, emerging sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, green transformation, and circular economy, with the aim of building a modern, green, clean, and sustainable industry.

The Vietnamese side requested Belarus to provide favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses, including Belarusian entrepreneurs of Vietnamese descent, to operate and invest in Belarus.

At the conclusion of the session, Minister Diên and Deputy Prime Minister Sivak signed the minutes of the 16th session, and agreed that the next edition will be held in Belarus at an appropriate time. — VNS