ROME – President Trần Đại Quang and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella yesterday reiterated their determination to effectively deepen the Việt Nam-Italy strategic partnership.
In talks held in Rome, the two leaders agreed to increase the exchange of delegations and meetings at all levels, follow up on the 2017-2018 action plan to materialise the bilateral strategic partnership, and maintain exchanges between the two countries’ Parties and peoples.
They also agreed to prioritise economic co-operation and raise bilateral trade to US$6 billion during the 2017-2018 period.
Both sides will work to increase Italy’s investment in Việt Nam while creating optimal conditions for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to access the Italian market, the two leaders said.
New orientations will be set for development co-operation, focusing on vocational training, environmental protection, water resources management and flood forecasting.
Collaboration in culture, education and training as well as tourism will be enhanced.

Scientific and technological affiliations will be accorded priority in the coming years, both leaders agreed.
The Italian President pledged to continue assisting Việt Nam in preserving relic sites and to offer more scholarships to Vietnamese students.
The Presidents agreed to work with each other for the early opening of a direct air route between the two countries and share experiences in implementing public-private partnership (PPP) projects in logistics, shipbuilding, railways and infrastructure.
On national defence and security, they said the exchange of information and experience in fighting crime will be stepped up, as will collaboration in training, relief operations, bomb and mine clearance, defence industry development, and UN peace-keeping missions.
Việt Nam and Italy will also strengthen their co-ordination at multilateral forums like the United Nations, ASEAN, European Union, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and UNESCO.
The two leaders promised to support each other in promoting relations between Italy and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as between Việt Nam and the EU, with particular attention paid to projects, programmes and initiatives on climate change responses and green growth.
They also stressed the significance of maintaining peace, stability, and navigation and aviation safety and freedom, holding that disputes in the East Sea should be addressed by peaceful measures on the basis of respecting international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully realising the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and early agreement on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.
President Quang said Việt Nam always attaches importance to developing friendship and multi-dimensional co-operation with Italy.
President Mattarella described Quang’s visit as a milestone in the bilateral strategic partnership set up in 2013.
The two leaders later co-chaired a press conference to announce the outcomes of their talks.
Earlier, on Monday (Italian time), President Quang visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy.
Vietnam and Italy established diplomatic ties on March 23, 1973. Italy was the first Western European nation to back the enhancement of co-operation between Việt Nam and the EU at major international forums, as well as the normalisation of relations between Việt Nam and international financial, trade and monetary organisations in the 1990s.
Trade between the two countries has increased every year, reaching US$4.3 billion in 2015. Italy ranks 31 out of 112 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam with 77 projects valued at $360 million, mostly in processing, manufacturing, leather and footwear, construction, lavatory equipment and steel processing.
The Italian Government has listed Việt Nam as one of ten newly-emerging markets to prioritise trade and investment ties with. The two countries have also set up a joint committee on economic co-operation.
Italy began providing official development assistance for Việt Nam in the 1990s, in areas like water supply and sewage, environmental protection, human resources development, health care and institution building. – VNS