Deputy Foreign Minister Ngô Lê Văn meets Watanabe Tetsuya, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Foreign Minister Ngô Lê Văn received Watanabe Tetsuya, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), in Hà Nội on Thursday, during the latter’s visit to Việt Nam from August 19-21.

At the meeting, Văn expressed his appreciation for ERIA’s contributions to ASEAN and East Asian economic integration, and thanked the institute for its active and effective cooperation with Việt Nam through policy recommendations and coordination in organising the ASEAN Future Forum.

He affirmed that ERIA’s research and policy recommendations on growth models, industrial policy, innovation, digital transformation, green transition, and sustainable development provide valuable references for Việt Nam and other countries in the region.

Sharing Việt Nam’s goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045, Văn said that science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and green transition have been seen as key drivers for realising the new growth model, accelerating industrialisation and modernisation, and achieving double-digit economic growth.

The official expressed his hope that ERIA will continue to accompany Việt Nam by sharing experience and providing policy advice, and helping identify emerging challenges and develop responses suited to the country’s circumstances. He also voiced his wish that the institute’s research could be translated into practical action plans, contributing to economic development across ASEAN, including Việt Nam.

For his part, Watanabe thanked the Vietnamese Government for its support for ERIA since its establishment in 2008. He spoke highly of the success and significance of the three ASEAN Future Forums hosted by Việt Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and thanked the ministry and the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam for enabling ERIA to participate in and serve as an organising partner of the third ASEAN Future Forum in June.

He affirmed that ERIA attaches great importance to collaboration with Việt Nam and stands ready to further promote its strengths in research and policy advice to contribute to the country’s development goals through ASEAN and Mekong subregional cooperation, particularly in energy connectivity, infrastructure, digital connectivity, green transformation and high-quality human resource development.

He also expressed ERIA’s readiness to contribute ideas and recommendations to discussions at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which Việt Nam will host in 2027. — VNA/VNS