HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam sees Argentina as its most important partner in Latin America and hopes to consolidate and strengthen its comprehensive partnership with the country, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said on Wednesday.

During a meeting with visiting Argentine President Mauricio Macri, the PM said the Vietnamese people appreciate and love the country and people of Argentina, whose football, wines and tango dance are famous all over the world.

PM Phúc also said he was happy to meet President Macri again after their meeting in Canada last June. Since that meeting, the two countries have continued to work together to obtain practical and effective developments and have closely co-ordinated at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially the United Nations.

President Macri said Việt Nam was his country’s fifth largest global trade partner and the second largest in Asia, and expressed his admiration for Việt Nam’s dynamism and impressive economic growth.

The president also said Việt Nam should produce more food and Argentina has experience with advanced technology in this field. Besides agriculture, Macri expressed his hope the two sides could develop their co-operation in health care, information technology and telecommunications.

PM Phúc agreed with President Macri’s idea that the two sides should support bilateral trade and asked Argentina to open its market for Việt Nam’s exports. He said Việt Nam and Argentina need to maintain the exchange of delegations and accelerate their co-operation initiatives at various levels.

The Government leader proposed the two sides continue to boost co-operation in technology, sciences, agriculture, renewable energy and pharmaceuticals. He also expressed his hope that President Macri’s visit would open a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship. — VNS