Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ called on Slovakian businesses to make further investments in Việt Nam during a business conference yesterday in the capital. — Photo toquoc.vn

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Vương Ðình Huệ called on Slovakian businesses to make further investments in Việt Nam during a business conference yesterday in the capital.

“We will create the most favourable conditions for Slovakian firms to invest in sectors such as electronic component manufacturing, information and technology, pharmaceuticals, energy and agricultural products in the country,” the deputy PM said.

Given the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community, Slovakian enterprises would also have opportunities to access huge markets in ASEAN if they started their investment in Việt Nam.

The deputy PM said he hoped that Slovakia in return would facilitate exports of Vietnamese goods, including textiles and garments, footwear, agro-forestry products and electronics, to the lucrative market.

In order to increase bilateral economic relations between the two nations, which remain modest, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico suggested the two governments draw up and then exchange with each other a list of prioritised sectors for co-operation.

He also stressed the importance of accelerating exchanges of high level delegations and business communities along with perfecting the legal framework in an attempt to boost two-way ties in trade and investment.

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Thảo Hiền, deputy head of the European Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said both sides had enormous strengths that could supplement each other.

Hiền said Slovakia’s demand for consumer goods, farm produce, apparel and footwear could give a boost to Việt Nam’s exports. In return, with its strength in machinery and engineering, as well as being a supplier of parts, Slovakia could help Việt Nam develop these sectors.

The event yesterday also saw several agreements and MoUs inked among the Vietnamese and Slovakian sides. Among them included a co-operation agreement signed between the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, and an agreement inked between An Phú Mineral and Energy Co and Lachot Joint Stock Co to establish a joint venture with a total investment capital of one million euro.

Last year, two-way trade reached approximately US$294 million with $276 million coming from Vietnamese exports, according to Việt Nam’s General Department of Customs.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Investment Agency’s latest statistics revealed that as of June, Slovakia had only five projects, worth US$240 million, in Việt Nam, ranking 36th among 116 countries and territories investing in the country. — VNS