Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc withRepublic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has urged the Republic of Korea (RoK) to reduce, remove binding conditions for official development assistance loans, concessional loans, and expand non-refundable aid to Việt Nam.

During his meeting with the RoK’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Hà Nội on Thursday, PM Phúc also said he hoped the RoK increase the reception of Vietnamese workers, pay more attention and support to the Vietnamese community in their country, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Việt Nam supported the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s New Southern  Policy and expects the two sides to continue maintaining high-level exchanges on the basis of ensuring prevention and fighting against COVID-19 pandemic, promoting exchanges between ministries, branches and localities to strongly promote co-operation relations between the two countries, he said.

The PM asked the RoK to co-ordinate to take effective measures to facilitate procedures for the two sides to soon achieve the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to US$100 billion towards trade balance, noting that Việt Nam had decided to reopen commercial routes to a number of countries and regions, including South Korea.

“Many large Korean corporations are investing and doing business successfully in Việt Nam and contributing to the bilateral relationship,” the Vietnamese PM stressed, adding that all proposals of Korean businesses are considered and resolved by the Vietnamese Government.

He affirmed to create all conditions for Korean experts and managers to enter Việt Nam to invest and do business.

Regarding the situation in the East Sea (called South China Sea internationally), the PM expected the RoK to continue to support the stance of Việt Nam and ASEAN on the issue, including maintaining peace, stability, and ensuring maritime and air safety and security; respect for international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

Minister Kang, who is on a two-day visit to Việt Nam, highly appreciated the efforts of the Prime Minister of Việt Nam in promoting relations between the two countries.

She said that although affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government and Prime Minister of Việt Nam still supported and had effective solutions to promote bilateral relations.

She expressed the hope the two sides would soon resume high-level delegation exchanges and said she was impressed about how Việt Nam managed to control the COVID-19 pandemic as well as exchange efforts between the two countries during the pandemic.

Currently, many Koreans were looking forward to entering Việt Nam for investment, production and business and vice versa, adding that the Korea was also ready to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese to enter the RoK 

She hoped the two countries would agree to a special entry process to create favorable conditions for Korean experts, managers and businesses to enter Việt Nam.

The two countries also needed to soon sign an agreement on social insurance to better ensure the interests of workers, she said, suggesting Việt Nam include the RoK in the reference list of countries in the procurement of medical equipment as the country has a strong point in manufacturing medical equipment that meets international standards.

Meeting ADB chief

On the same day, PM Phúc congratulated Andrew Jeffries on his appointment as Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director in Việt Nam.

The PM affirmed Việt Nam always considered ADB as a close and important development partner, noting that many projects of ADB had contributed to and greatly supported the socio-economic development of Việt Nam.

He highly appreciated ADB for tripling its emergency assistance package to member countries, including Việt Nam, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding the Việt Nam-ADB co-operation orientation, PM Phúc stated that Việt Nam wanted ADB to support the development of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy and Plan for the period 2021-25 and to closely co-ordinate in the construction and implementation process of a Country Partnership Strategy.

The two sides also needed to accelerate the disbursement of negotiated and signed projects in the 2020-21 portfolio to promote growth, he said.

Jeffries thanked the Government of Việt Nam for the effective support and co-operation with ADB in the past.

He said that as Việt Nam was building a socio-economic development strategy 2021-25, and over the next 10 years, ADB was also building a country partnership strategy for the next five to ten years.

Therefore, the more appropriate the strategies of the two sides, the more favorable conditions for coordination activities would be, he said, adding that ADB was changing its approach more towards the private sector, creating an enabling environment for development.

He congratulated the Government of Việt Nam on the successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring socio-economic development.

ADB was always ready to meet and exchange with Vietnamese partners to find solutions and ways to best support Việt Nam, he said.

Since 1993, ADB has supported Việt Nam US$17 billion and disbursed $14 billion. — VNS