Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc meets Germany's Thüringen Minister-President Bodo Ramelow in Hà Nội on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said he expects the eastern German federal state of Thüringen to act as a bridge for Vietnamese companies to expand their cooperation and business in Germany and Europe.
The ties will contribute to the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), PM Phúc said at a reception for Minister-President of Thüringen Bodo Ramelow in Hà Nội yesterday.
The PM said he is delighted to see positive developments in the relations between the two countries.
He spoke highly of the visit by Bodo Ramelow and his accompany of representatives from 70 businesses, expressing his hope the visit would open new possibilities for investment and cooperation.
Phúc said the cooperation would be developing, backed by the establishment of strategic partnerships, the signing of economic agreements, the launch of a direct flight route, and the German-speaking community in Việt Nam and the Vietnamese community in Germany.
He asked the German official to encourage businesses of Thüringen and Germany to invest more in Việt Nam.
Minister-President of Thüringen Bodo Ramelow said during the visit, he and his entourage had a working session with Hà Nội, joined seminars, and worked with the Ministry of Science and Technology on training partnership between universities of the two countries.
He talked about his state’s socio-economic achievements after 30 years of reforms and possibilities of sharing experience in developing small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperating in vocational training by Thüringen businesses. — VNS