Vietnam and Belgium have agreed that they will give priorities to cooperation in the fields of transport, logistics, seaport, aviation, outer space, green technology and hi-tech.

>> Vietnam’s PM visits Belgium, one of its largest export markets

The agreement was reached at the talk between visiting Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel in Brussels on Monday, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Both host and guest agreed to maintain the Vietnam – Belgium Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation mechanism, and shared the same view that the body needed to set out orientations for the post-2015 agenda soon.

Belgium will facilitate the signing of the European Union – Vietnam free trade agreement, which will lay the foundation for joint work between EU member countries and Vietnam, PM Michel said.

The two PM pledged to strengthen exchanges of high-level visits and contrinue to support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations.

Both sides emphasized the importance of the Vietnam – Belgium coordination through the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which they considered a channel of dialogue between the two continents.

The two PMs also discussed measures to boost cooperation between the two countries’ universities and research institutes.

Belgian PM Michel affirmed Belgium’s determination to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations with countries Asia-Pacific region.

Regarding the East Vietnam Sea, the two PMs agreed that peace, stability, security, safety, maritime and aviation freedom are crucial to the area.

Any disputes in the East Vietnam Sea should be settled peacefully, without the use of force or threat to use force, and in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

After the meeting, the two PMs witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on investing in an industrial park in the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong and  an agreement on the second small satellite for Vietnam’s natural resources and disaster management.

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