Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has pledged to do his utmost to beef up bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Luxembourg.

PM Dung made the commitment while receiving Jean-Louis Schiltz, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Minister for Defence and Minister for Communications, in Ha Noi on October 12.

“Viet Nam wishes to promote cooperative ties with Luxembourg in the fields of finance, banking, education and training,” he said.

The government leader hailed Luxembourg businesses’ plans to invest in Viet Nam, particularly the signing of an aid agreement and the opening of direct flights from Luxembourg to Ho Chi Minh City.

Minister Schiltz said his visit is aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in finance, investment and trade.

In addition to an agreement under which Luxembourg will provide Viet Nam with 50 million Euros as development aid for the 2006-2010 period, making Viet Nam Luxembourg’s largest aid beneficiary, Luxembourg wanted to cooperate with Viet Nam in the areas of satellite and telecommunications, he said.

The minister also said that Luxembourg will continue to aid Viet Nam’s health care and vocational training sectors after 2010 and pledged to act a trade bridge between Viet Nam and the European Union (EU).-(VNA)