Vietnam seeks ODA from Qatar in multiple areas
16/8/2022| 9:24Vietnam expects that Qatar will provide the official development assistance (ODA) for infrastructure and agricultural projects in the country, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said.
Receiving Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Hanoi on August 15, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Qatar on recently signing the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and affirmed Vietnam always supports the effective, close and comprehensive cooperation between Qatar and ASEAN, VOV reported.
He suggested that the two sides strengthen the exchange of delegations at all levels and create conditions for their strong export products to penetrate each other’s markets. He asked Qatar to help develop the Halal industry in Vietnam so that Vietnamese goods can meet the standards of the Muslim market.
Also, PM Chinh proposed that Qatar step up investment cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of infrastructure, oil and gas, renewable energy, green technology, digital transformation and labour. Vietnam is ready to create all favourable conditions for Qatar investment funds and businesses to seek investment cooperation opportunities in the country, he affirmed.
He said Vietnam has reopened its borders and eased all travel restrictions and expected it would welcome more Qatari tourists in the near future.
The PM highlighted the August 15 signing of an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic, official and special passport holders between Vietnam and Qatar, and hoped both sides would promote the negotiation of cooperation agreements in the other fields of maritime, customs, justice, security, culture, and tourism.
For his part, Deputy PM and FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani affirmed that Qatar always attaches importance to developing relations with Vietnam, considering the Southeast Asian nation a gateway to penetrate the large, lucrative ASEAN market.
The Qatar Investment Authority has poured hundreds of millions of US dollars into the Vietnamese market, he said.
Mohammed agreed that both Qatar and Vietnam have great potential for further strengthening cooperation in various fields, especially in trade, investment, energy, and tourism.
Potential remains for bilateral ties
The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with the Qatari Deputy PM and FM in Hanoi, during which the two officials held that there remains much room for their countries to further strengthen cooperation, especially in politics - diplomacy, economy, energy, tourism, and labour,VietnamPlus said.
The two sides agreed to boost trade and investment promotion, create conditions for Vietnamese and Qatari products to enter each other’s markets, and improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the countries’ management and investment bodies such as the Qatar Investment Authority and the State Capital Investment Corporation of Vietnam.
Minister Son affirmed that Vietnam will provide favourable conditions for Qatari businesses and investment funds to explore the market.
To create breakthroughs for bilateral relations, he recommended the countries hold the third meeting of their Joint Committee early to discuss measures for reinforcing multifaceted ties and accelerating talks and signing of cooperation deals.
They underlined the need for coordination to successfully organise activities marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023, including increasing all-level mutual visits, holding cultural and sports exchanges, and upholding mutual support at multilateral forums and international and regional organisations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
For his part, the Qatari Deputy PM and Foreign Minister said Vietnam is a priority partner of Qatar in Asia-Pacific and an attractive destination for investors from his country.
Agreeing with his host’s opinions, he asked both sides to boost the sharing of information about investment projects and opportunities while expanding partnerships to other fields such as a green economy, renewable energy, science - technology, and agriculture. Priority will be given to strengthening collaboration between the Qatar public investment fund and the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) and accelerating talks on a bilateral free trade deal and an agreement on visa waivers for ordinary passport holders to deepen ties, the Qatari leader said.
Vietnam and Qatar established diplomatic relations on February 8, 1993. The official visit to Vietnam by Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani takes place in the context that the two countries are looking forward to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Qatar diplomatic relations. The friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Qatar, especially in politics-diplomacy, economy, energy, are developing positively. The two countries regularly exchanged delegations at all levels before the Covid-19 pandemic. Bilateral trade turnover in 2021 reached $400 million, according to The World& Vietnam Report.
HUONG PHAM
