Belgian Senate President Stephanie D’Hose with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI — Belgian Senate President Stephanie D’Hose on Tuesday met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn as part of her official visit to Việt Nam, stressing that Belgium always treasures the cooperation and friendship with the Asian country.

She also praised Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements following the pandemic, as well as the country’s position in the region and the world.

Foreign Minister Sơn believes that the top Belgian senator’s visit is an important milestone in the two countries’ relations, especially as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of the agricultural strategic partnership this year.

He said that Việt Nam always attached great importance to comprehensive cooperation with the European Union and Belgium.

The two leaders also agreed that there had been significant progress in the collaboration between Việt Nam and Belgium, as well as their legislative bodies, with more delegation exchanges expected in the future.

Sơn said that economic cooperation was an important pillar in their bilateral ties, believing that there is tremendous potential for growth in two-way trade and investment.

He hopes that the two countries can take advantage of the opportunities from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The Vietnamese foreign minister also requested that Belgium soon ratify the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and work with the EU on removing the “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing for Vietnamese seafood products.

This would help maintain the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen while responding to the demands of European consumers, he said.

Senate President D’Hose said that the Belgian Federal Parliament was striving to ratify the EVIPA before the end of the current parliamentary term in 2024, and recognised Việt Nam’s efforts in combatting IUU fishing.

She said that Belgium was also willing to support Việt Nam in energy transition, agricultural development, climate change response, and overcoming the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin.

The two leaders also agreed to facilitate travelling between Việt Nam and Belgium for the people to promote cooperation in economic activities, trade and investment, as well as in multilateral and international forums.

The two countries will also work together at the United Nations 2023-2025 Human Rights Council for better efficiency, transparency and objectivity in the spirit of dialogue, cooperation, equality and mutual respect. — VNS