Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu welcomed Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chính in Bucharest on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

BUCHAREST — Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu chaired a welcome ceremony in Bucharest on Monday morning (local time) for Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, who is in the country for an official visit.

Following the ceremony, the two leaders held talks at the Victoria Palace.

The visit, the first delegation exchange at the prime ministerial level between the two countries in five years, is taking place in the context of good development of the nearly-75-year-old Việt Nam-Romania traditional ties and cooperation.

During his stay in Romania, PM Chính will hold talks and have meetings with the Prime Minister, the President, the President of the Senate and the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania.

He will visit some Romanian localities and universities, attend the Việt Nam-Romania business forum, receive representatives from the Romania-Việt Nam Friendship Association, and meet staff at the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in the country.

The visit aims at deepening the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, creating new driving forces to bolster bilateral collaboration across the fields of Romania’s strengths and in line with Việt Nam's development needs such as agriculture, processing and manufacturing, and health care.

Besides, it is expected to strengthen business cooperation and lure investment in potential fields, contributing to boosting the Việt Nam-European Union ties.

Romania was one of the first 10 countries in the world to recognise and establish diplomatic ties with Việt Nam.

While holding the rotating presidency of the EU, Romania worked to push ahead with the negotiation and signing of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-VIệt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The two-way trade hit US$425 million in 2022. As of the end of that year, Romania had five valid projects with total registered capital of $1.56 million, ranking 42nd among the 143 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam. — VNS

The welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Government leader Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang