Vietnam, Canada work closer in development cooperation
VNA 30/09/2009 - Vietnam will continue to be a priority recipient of Canada ’s official development assistance (ODA) and Canada will send a delegation to Vietnam early next year to help ODA projects get going.
This was stated by Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon during a reception for Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is on an official visit to Canada from September 28-30.
Since 1992, Canada has provided more than 600 million Canadian dollars (roughly 555 million USD) in ODA to Vietnam and the capital has been efficiently used, contributing to the strengthening of relations between the two countries, said Minister Cannon.
Canada ’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation, Jim Abbott, said he will lead a delegation to Vietnam next year to explore new ways of working together to disburse ODA.
During the meetings, Foreign Minister Khiem gave a briefing on the priority areas that Vietnam has earmarked for ODA. Both countries confirmed that they will increase cooperation in agriculture, education and training, especially through student exchanges.
Asides from development cooperation, both officials expressed their pleasure at the ever-increasing development of Vietnamese-Canadian links and cooperation in other areas, especially in politics.
As members of various regional and international organisations, including the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Francophone Community, Vietnam and Canada have worked together closely in the past, said Canadian Minister Cannon.
They agreed to increase the exchange of top-level delegations and to hold more political consultations between the two foreign ministries in the future.
They also agreed to facilitate trade and step up negotiations for a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) between the two countries.
Two-way trade between Vietnam and Canada topped 1.2 billion USD in 2008. Canada is now the 9 th largest investor out of the 80 countries and territories currently investing in Vietnam .
During his three-day visit to Ottawa and Toronto , Khiem also met with Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, Senate Speaker Noel A. Kinsella, Speaker of the House of Commons, Peter Milliken and members of the Canadian-Vietnamese Friendship Parliamentary Group.
At the meetings, they discussed bilateral relations and a number of regional and international issues of common concern. They both agreed on the dire need to prevent nuclear proliferation and to step up cooperation to ensure energy and food security, environmental protection and deal with climate change.
Deputy PM Khiem also met with the heads of the Talisman group, representatives of the Canada-Vietnam business council, overseas Vietnamese and visited Niagara University./.
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