Vietnam and the European Union (EU) conducted their third deputy minister-level political consultation in Hanoi on Tuesday, focusing on measures to foster cooperation in various areas, including politics, defense, security, economics, trade, investment, and agriculture. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service (EEAS) David O’Sullivan, co-chaired the event. The two sides affirmed their political determination to finalize negotiations for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) before the 10th ASEM Summit in Milan, Italy, this October and to closely collaborate with each other in ensuring the success of the summit. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues of common concern such as ASEAN-EU cooperation and Vietnam-EU cooperation in the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the East Sea issues. At the event, O’Sullivan reiterated the EU’s commitment to increasing official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam in the 2014-2020 period.

In the coming time, the EEAS will coordinate with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in launching training courses aimed at improving the capability of Vietnamese officials in implementing the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), O’Sullivan said.

Regarding the East Sea issues, he re-affirmed the EU’s stance on settling disputes by peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He also said China and ASEAN should reach a Code of Conduct (COC) soon.

Deputy Minister Son suggested the EU recognize the market economy status of Vietnam before the EVFTA is concluded, and speed up the ratification of the PCA.

He highly valued the EU’s pledge to continue providing ODA for Vietnam, and asserted that his country supports the EU to play an active role in Asia-Pacific and its initiatives to address global issues based on multilateralism and international law. As an ASEAN-EU Coordinator, Vietnam will do everything it can to strengthen the comprehensive development of the cooperative relationship between the two blocs, the official said. Son and O’Sullivan also expressed their pleasure at the outcomes of the past consultations, which they said have contributed to promoting bilateral ties as well as mutual understanding between Vietnam and the EU.