Hanoi (VNA) – Thefreshly concluded official visit to Spain by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on the occasion of 40 years of the countries’diplomatic relations is an important milestone in the promotion of bilateralties in the years to come.

The remark was made by Director of the ForeignMinistry’s Europe Department Le Dung during an interview granted to VietnamNews Agency on the outcomes of the visit and the prospect of Vietnam-Spainrelations.

According to the Director, Spain is an importantEuropean partner of Vietnam, with which Vietnam set up a strategic partnershipin 2009.

The trip from May 23-25 was part of an actionprogramme for implementing the strategic partnership, he noted, adding that thetwo sides have made big strides in all-round cooperation, from politics,diplomacy to trade, culture, education and defence.

Spain is currently the sixth biggest Europeantrade partner of Vietnam. Their trade revenue has been surging, approximating 3billion EUR in 2016. Meanwhile, nearly 60,000 Spanish tourists came to Vietnamlast year, doubling the figure in 2010.

The tour by Deputy PM and FM Minh reeled in verysignificant outcomes, including the enhancement of political trust, Dung said,noting that the King and other leaders of Spain emphasised that they attachimportance to the development of ties with Vietnam.

Two important documents were signed during thevisit, including the fifth financial programme, which will pave the way forcooperation projects until 2020. The other, an agreement on economic, trade andinvestment cooperation, is meant to prepare for the establishment of aVietnam-Spain inter-governmental committee on economic, trade and investmentcooperation. 

The documents solidified the legal framework forbilateral connections in prioritised fields such as infrastructure, renewableenergy, environment, and hi-tech agriculture, Dung added.

He said both sides affirmed that they will lifttheir cooperation at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, ASEMand ASEAN-EU, to a new level. They vowed to support each other and coordinatetheir stance on regional and international issues of shared concern.

Vietnam and Spain have good conditions tostrongly develop bilateral linkages in the time ahead, Dung said, stressingthat both have very high political resolve to intensify their ties. They alsoinked a number of important documents serving as the legal framework for thetwo countries’ relations. In addition, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement(EVFTA) is set to be signed and ratified in late 2017 or early next year.

The countries targeted 5 billion USD in two-waytrade by 2020, which is ambitious, but Spain affirmed that with their politicalresolve, favourable investment climate and commitments, along with the EVFTA,this target is achievable, Dung said.

He added thanks to the fifth financialprogramme, more and more Spanish investors will come to Vietnam, which in turnwill provide the best possible conditions for them.

At a business forum held during the Deputy PM’svisit, a number of Spanish investors showed their interest in the Vietnamesemarket in the spheres they have strength in like environment, infrastructure,renewable energy and, especially, tourism, Dung noted, adding that the EUnation pledged to share experience in tourism management and expressed itsreadiness to advise Vietnam about building a tourism development plan until2030.-VNA