President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Tuesday had talks with Honorary Consul of Việt Nam in Switzerland Philipp Rosler in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Tuesday hosted a reception for Honorary Consul of Việt Nam in Switzerland Philipp Rosler and a Swiss business delegation who are visiting Việt Nam to seek opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and Germany and Switzerland.

The State leader hailed the contributions by Rosler to the Việt Nam-Germany strategic partnership either as a German politician in the past or a business leader and Việt Nam’s Honorary Consul in Switzerland at present.  

Noting the fast recovery of tourism in Việt Nam, President Phúc said he hoped more and more tourists and businesses from Europe would come to the country following the reopening.  

According to the President, although the EVFTA has opened up opportunities for trade and investment ties between Việt Nam and Germany and Switzerland, bilateral trade between Việt Nam and those countries decreased in 2021 due to the pandemic. Phúc urged the three countries to act to further bolster economic, trade and investment cooperation.

He asked Rosler to continue working to promote the Việt Nam-Germany strategic partnership and the Việt Nam-Switzerland friendship and collaboration, particularly the early signing of a free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).  He added that he hoped European businesses would invest in innovation and hi-tech fields in Việt Nam.

The Honorary Consul of Việt Nam in Switzerland informed his host that he was advancing cooperation projects on tourism development, particularly human resources training. He called for the early opening of a direct air service between Việt Nam and Switzerland, and pledged to advocate the early signing of the FTA between Việt Nam and the EFTA. — VNS