Belgium treasures friendly and cooperative ties with Vietnam

According to Ambassador Bossche, Vietnam and Belgium are preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1973-2023) and the five-year strategic partnership in agriculture (2018-2023) next year. Over the past half century, the two countries' relations has developed remarkably across all spheres, particularly politics – diplomacy, trade, and agriculture. at the federal, region and community levels. In terms of trade, the E.U. – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has contributed to boosting two-way trade and investment between Belgium and Vietnam. Both countries share the same ambition of becoming the gateway to the E.U. and ASEAN for their partners, respectively. Last year, Vietnam is the 15th largest non-E.U. importer of Belgium. This is a good sign!

The Belgian diplomat also revealed that many Belgian companies are operating in Vietnam such as Puratos Grand-Place Group – a chocolate manufacturer in Vietnam or Rikolto, a Belgian non-government organization. These companies have been helping  4,000 Vietnamese cocoa farmers enjoy a stable life. He emphasized that the ultimate goal of Belgian enterprises is to provide Vietnam with better, higher-value products that can be exported to European, American and other markets.

The Belgian official informed that in the field of dioxin detoxification in Vietnam, Belgium's Haemers Group is participating in a pilot project at Bien Hoa Airport. The experimental activities have proved that heat treatment technology used to treat dioxin contaminated soil is an advanced and effective solution. He confirmed that as a partner, Belgium is willing to transfer the core technology to contribute to speeding up the dioxin detoxification in Vietnam.

He affirmed that during his tenure, he will do his best to contribute to further promoting the Vietnam – Belgium partnership in the fields that Belgium has strengths and Vietnam has needs such as sustainable agriculture, digital economy, green development, energy transformation, among others. He also highlighted the extreme importance of the economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

"Our cooperation does not stop at the bilateral level. The two countries will strengthen their cooperation to have a common voice at multilateral forums and at the United Nations, especially in the Human Rights Council where both are members,” said Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche.

Translated by Mai Huong