Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives new Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano De Lasala in Hanoi on April 4.- VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính received new Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano De Lasala in Hà Nội on April 4.

At the reception, the PM congratulated the Ambassador as she begins her term in Việt Nam when the two countries celebrated the 15th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic partnership towards the future (2009 - 2024).

He affirmed that Việt Nam wishes to bring the strategic partnership with Spain to a new level that is commensurate with the cooperation potential of the two sides.

PM Chính suggested the two sides increase delegation exchange and contacts at all levels and continue to effectively deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

He said the two countries should take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), calling on Spain to open the market for Vietnamese products, especially agricultural goods, electronics, textiles, and garments.

Chính welcomed Spain's opening of the Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam in 2023, asking Ambassador Lasala to support Spanish businesses to invest in Vietnam in areas where Spain has strengths such as transportation infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, education, especially high-quality human resources training and science and technology transfer.

Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Chinh urged Spain to continue to raise voice to advocate the rule of law in the East Sea, support the stance of Việt Nam and ASEAN on resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

For her part, the Ambassador said Spanish businesses are more and more interested in cooperating with Việt Nam.

She proposed four key areas for bilateral cooperation in the coming time, namely infrastructure, renewable energy, defence, and tourism.

She also agreed with the Vietnamese PM on promoting cultural and sports cooperation, informing that the Spanish embassy is coordinating with the embassies of Latin American countries in Việt Nam to organise an international workshop on teaching Spanish in Việt Nam.

The ambassador said she hopes Spanish will be taught in high schools in Việt Nam.

On this occasion, PM Chính asked the Spanish Ambassador to convey his invitation to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to make an official visit to Việt Nam soon. Chính also thanked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for inviting him to visit Spain and requested the foreign ministries of the two countries to arrange a visit at a suitable time. — VNS