Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (left) was received by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague on April 17. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

PRAGUE — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have agreed to collaborate to speed up the launching of a direct flight linking Hà Nội and Prague.

Meeting with the media after their talks in Prague yesterday, the two PMs said that they had sought measures to boost bilateral ties in many areas, especially education-training, agriculture, science-technology, the environment and culture-tourism.

PM Babis expressed his delight at meeting the Vietnamese PM again after their talks in February 2008 with then Deputy PM Phúc.

He said the Czech Republic and Việt Nam have maintained a close partnership over nearly seven decades.

The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic has also made positive contributions to the development in the host country, he noted.

Việt Nam is the third largest partner of the Czech Republic among ASEAN member countries, he said, adding that the two sides have seen sound development in collaboration in trade, investment and other areas. The Czech Republic’s exports to Việt Nam have grown 30 per cent in recent years, while Czech businesses hope to increase exports of goods to Việt Nam, said the PM.

PM Babis revealed that at the talks the two leaders discussed various promising co-operation areas, such as mining, tourism, aviation and culture-education, as well as issues regarding visas.

The Czech Republic supports the EU’s signing of the free trade agreement with Việt Nam (EVFTA), he stated.

The Vietnamese Government leader thanked the Czech PM and people for their warm welcome, stressing that talks with his Czech counterpart were productive, during which both sides agreed on solutions to improve the efficiency of bilateral co-operation.

He clarified that Việt Nam values the Czech Republic’s support for the early signing and ratification of the EVFTA and the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The deals are of significance for economic-trade co-operation between the EU and Việt Nam, helping businesses from the EU and the Czech Republic access the more than 90-million-strong market and creating favourable conditions for collaboration in services, finance, telecommunications and public procurement.

The EVFTA will help enhance the position of the EU in Asia, he said, pledging that Việt Nam will be a gateway for Czech enterprises to approach the ASEAN and East Asia markets.

PM Phúc thanked the Czech Republic for helping the country’s Vietnamese community to integrate into the local society, expressing his belief that the community will continue fostering friendship between the two countries. — VNS