HÀ NỘI — Vietnam and Romania have issued a Joint Declaration on the occasion of Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos’s official visit to Vietnam between July 11-14.

The following is the full text of the Joint Declaration. 
1. At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Romania Dacian Ciolos paid an official visit to Vietnam between July 11th and 14th 2016. During the visit, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and was received by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang. He also attended the Vietnam – Romania Business Forum, met with the Vietnam – Romania Friendship Association, and visited Quang Ninh province. 
2. In a friendly atmosphere of mutual understanding, the two Prime Ministers informed each other of the political social and economic developments in their respective countries and their foreign affairs and economic priorities. They also discussed concrete measures to promote bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest. 
3. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reaffirmed that Vietnam always attaches great importance to the friendship and co-operation across many areas with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania; congratulated Romania for its robust national development and European integration achievements. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos held in high regard the impressive achievements that the people of Vietnam have made in economic and social development. The two Prime Ministers valued the traditional friendship between Romania and Vietnam and welcomed the substantial progress achieved in all areas of bilateral co-operation over the past 66 years, recognising the significant potential for an even broader co-operation. They underlined their special interest to further develop the existing bilateral relations. 
4. The two Parties emphasised that political dialogue is particularly important in deepening mutual understanding and trust between the two countries, as well as boosting the bilateral relationship. To this end, the two Prime Ministers agreed to intensify the high-level bilateral contacts and use the opportunities offered by international conferences and other meetings to exchange views on issues of common interest. 
5. The two Prime Ministers agreed to further expand and diversify the economic co-operation, with a special focus on several key sectors: trade, energy, banking sector, agriculture, engineering industry, infrastructure, information technology, science and technology, environmental protection, climate change, tourism as well as other sectors of mutual interest. They also agreed to explore possibilities of collaboration between industrial parks, business clusters and competitiveness poles from Romania and Vietnam, while encouraging mutual participation in international trade fairs organised by each party. The Business Forum organised in the margins of the official visit to Vietnam and the 15th Joint Economic Commission held in Hanoi in mid-June 2016 were instrumental in providing favourable conditions for businesses and investors from both countries to explore opportunities for a pragmatic co-operation. Both Prime Ministers welcomed the leading role assumed by the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in taking forward the commercial agenda and supporting future business-led actions. 
The two Sides welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement and believe that its swift signing and implementation would provide a significant boost to trade and investment flows between Vietnam and Romania and pave the way for the recognition of Vietnam as a market economy. 
6. Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral co-operation in the field of science and innovation and agreed to accelerate the conclusion of the new Co-operation Programme between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation of Romania for the period 2017-2018. 
7. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing, during the visit, of several important documents with a view to enlarging the scope of the bilateral co-operation, as follows: 
· Programme of Co-operation in the field of culture between the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Romanian Ministry of Culture aimed at promoting the perennial cultural values and traditions of the two countries and peoples. 
· Programme of Co-operation on Education and Training between the Ministry of Education and Training of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research of Romania for the years 2016-2020. 
· The Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam National Power Transmission Corporation and Romanian CNTEE Transelectrica SA aimed at fostering co-operation in the energy field. 
· The Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vietnam and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania. 
8. The Prime Minister of Romania announced the decision to double the number of governmental scholarships granted to young Vietnamese wishing to study in Romania. Over the last 66 years, Romania offered scholarships to more than 3.500 Vietnamese students through governmental and joint programs of co-operation between Vietnamese and Romanian universities. The two Parties noted with satisfaction the academic co-operation showcased by the recent conclusion of Memoranda of Understanding between the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Petroleum University of Viet Nam and the Oil and Gas University of Ploiești, Romania, between the Hanoi University of Social Sciences, respectively the Phuong Dong University of Vietnam and Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania. 
9. The two Prime Ministers recognized the need to enhance co-operation between the Vietnamese and Romanian law enforcement agencies and welcomed the prospects of signing the Agreement on Co-operation of Preventing and Combating Terrorism, Organised Crime and other Offences between the two countries. They strongly condemned international terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, expressing their determination to deepen the co-operation in these fields. 
10. The two Heads of Government committed their support for the strengthening of people-to-people contacts as one of the important ways to increase mutual understanding and sustainable development of bilateral relations. 
The two Prime Ministers also acknowledged the prominent role of the Vietnamese – Romanian Friendship Association in promoting friendly ties, economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries over the last 25 years of its existence, forging a solid bridge between the Romanian and Vietnamese people. 
11. The two Heads of Government noted with satisfaction the enhanced co-operation between the local authorities of the two countries, inspired by the dynamic exchanges between the cities of Hue and Iași, Da Nang and Timișoara, as well as the provinces of Ninh Binh and Hunedoara, Hoa Binh and Prahova, which adds substantial value to the Vietnamese – Romanian relations. They agreed to further boost and diversify this co-operation framework. To this end, Prime Minister Cioloș visited Quang Ninh province and met the local high-ranking officials who provided fresh ideas on ways to expand co-operation between local authorities and non-governmental organisations from Vietnam and Romania. 
12. The two Prime Ministers discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest and underlined the excellent co-operation between Viet Nam and Romania in the Asia-Europe Meeting framework (ASEM). On the eve of the 11th ASEM Summit in Ulaanbaatar (15-16 July 2016), celebrating 20 years of co-operation between Asia and Europe, the two Sides reaffirmed the role of ASEM as an important framework of dialogue, contributing to constant peace, security and economic growth. Both Prime Ministers expressed their unwavering support for the development of the ASEM process and acknowledged connectivity as a key factor in building trust and stability. This partnership is essential for both Asia and Europe, as it helps to jointly address the global and regional challenges. To this end, the two Heads of Government highlighted their support for the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS. 
13. The two Sides agreed to further work together towards the implementation of the Mekong and Danube sub-regional projects agreed within the framework of the ASEM Sustainable Development Dialogue, with the participation of central and local authorities. In this regard, they welcomed the robust implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnamese province of Ben Tre, from the Mekong Delta and the Romanian province of Tulcea, located in the Danube Delta, signed in the margins of the 2014 ASEM Summit in Milan, Italy. The ASEM Mekong – Danube Initiative is a valuable instrument for launching new projects as part of the Asia – Europe agenda of co-operation. 
14. The two sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral co-operation within the framework of the United Nations, ASEM, the Vietnam – EU and the ASEAN – EU co-operation mechanisms. 
15. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his thanks to the Romanian Government for creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, work and do business in Romania. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos highly valued the contribution of the Vietnamese community in Romania to the strengthening and promotion of friendship between the two countries. He stated Romania would continue to enable the Vietnamese community in Romania to thrive and integrate into the local society. 
16. Both sides expressed satisfaction for the results of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos’s official visit and considered it a very significant political event in the strengthening and promotion of the traditional friendly ties and co-operation across many areas between Vietnam and Romania. 
17. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos expressed his gratitude for the warm and hospitable reception that Vietnam has accorded to him and the high-level delegation of Romania. On this occasion, the Romanian Prime Minister extended a gracious invitation to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to visit Romania at a suitable time. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his heartfelt gratitude and welcomed the invitation. The time of this meeting will be arranged through diplomatic channels. — VNS