HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Government will create favourable conditions for Italian enterprises to invest in the Southeast Asian country, helping increase the trade value between the two nations, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has said.

Hosting a reception for Italian Ambassador to Việt Nam Antonio Alessandro in Hà Nội on Monday, PM Phúc said the two countries have enjoyed sound relations over the past 46 years, particularly after they established a strategic partnership in 2013.

He expressed his hope that the Italian diplomat will do his utmost to make practical contributions to boosting bilateral co-operation, especially in the fields of economy and trade.

The two-way trade value of US$5 billion in 2018 is still modest in comparison to the collaborative potential between the two countries, PM Phúc said, recommending that both sides increase business delegation exchanges in order to resolve bottlenecks that hinder their co-operation.

PM Phúc highlighted the importance of the European Union-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to co-operation between Việt Nam and the EU, including Italy, and hoped to receive Italy’s support so that the deal can be ratified soon.

Hailing Alessandro’s suggestion to open a non-stop flight between Việt Nam and Italy, PM Phúc endorsed the idea which, he said, will help enhance exchange and co-operation between the two nations.

The Italian ambassador said the two countries could increase collaboration in the tourism sector, with Italy granting 10,000 visas for Vietnamese tourists in 2018, while some 65,000 Italians visited the Southeast Asian country in the same year.

Alessandro said he would make efforts to accelerate the opening of the Việt Nam-Italy direct flight during his tenure, revealing that the Italian embassy is in discussions with several airlines on the plan.

Alessandro suggested promoting educational collaboration, with many deals already signed between universities of the two nations.

The Italian Government has plans to provide development assistance for Việt Nam in the fields of environment, training, and energy, he said.

In addition, he expressed his wish to strengthen statistics co-operation with Việt Nam, saying that the Italian National Institute of Statistics could help Việt Nam with informal economic statistics. — VNS