Workers at Đại Dũng Mechanical Electrical Joint-Stock Company. Việt Nam and Slovenia boast high potential for cooperation in manufacturing agro-forestry-fisheries machinery and equipment. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Slovenia boast high potential for cooperation in manufacturing agro-forestry-fisheries machinery and equipment – an area of Slovenia’s strength and Việt Nam’s demand, said Vũ Bá Phú, head of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, at a recent online Việt Nam-Slovenia business exchange.

Commitments in the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) regarding tax reduction for Vietnamese and Slovenian products will help the two countries expand the market share in each other country as well as other EU markets, thus motivating bilateral trade growth, Phú said.

He underlined the need for both sides to increase trade exchange activities right after COVID-19 is controlled globally, and make full use of benefits from the EVFTA by abiding by regulations on origin.

He stressed that the Trade Promotion Agency is willing to coordinate and create optimal conditions for businesses of both sides to explore effective and long-term partnership opportunities.

Phú said that the EVFTA has been opening up doors for Việt Nam to promote economic cooperation with many markets around the world, including Slovenia.

The EU is now one of the leading trade partners of Việt Nam with two-way trade reaching US$49.6 billion in 2020, with Việt Nam’s exports of $34.9 billion.

This year, the deal is expected to continue fuelling the economic growth of Việt Nam as well as trade ties between Việt Nam and the EU.

Izidor Krive, Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, said Việt Nam and Slovenia share abundant potential for collaboration in the field of industrial machinery, equipment and automation as well as logistics solutions in garment and textiles and the food industry which are booming in Việt Nam.

Meanwhile, Lê Dũng, Vietnamese Ambassador in Austria and Slovenia, said that since the EVFTA took effect on August 1, 2020, Việt Nam has seen positive signs in trade with the EU and Slovenia.

The diplomat expressed his belief that after COVID-19 is controlled in Europe, the investment flow will rise. The 97-million strong market of Việt Nam could become a gateway for investors to enter a 660-million-strong ASEAN market, he said.

Slovenian businesses affirmed that Việt Nam is a promising market thanks to its political stability, low-cost workforce and developed infrastructure system.

At the event, jointly held by the Office of Commercial Affairs at the Vietnamese Embassy in Austria and Slovenia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, 21 Vietnamese firms and 12 Slovenian companies sought cooperation opportunities in each other's market and introduced their products and services. — VNS