Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka. (Source: VNA)

During a meeting with the Austrian leader on Tuesday as part of his official visit to Austria, PM Phuc suggested the two countries continue to develop  bilateral relations in a more intensive, effective and comprehensive manner moving forward. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and  Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.

On the same day, the Prime Minister paid a courtesy visit to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, who said Austria attaches importance to its friendship and cooperation with Vietnam and wants to increase bilateral economics, trade, education and training, as well as developmental cooperation. At a meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister on Tuesday, Governor of Lower Austria Johana Mikl Lietner said she supports the early signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Prime Minister Phuc asked the Lower Austria government to help promote cooperation between the two countries’ enterprises and universities: "During my visit, I want to convey the image of a dynamic Vietnam with rapid economic development, political stability, and hospitality. Vietnam hopes to gain experience from other countries to guide further development. We always welcome people from other countries to visit, study, and invest in our country.”

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

Earlier, Prime Minister Phuc held talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Vienna. Both leaders agreed to increase delegation exchanges and effectively carry out cooperative mechanisms. PM Phuc said they agreed to create favorable conditions for greater cooperation and investment to make Austria on of Vietnam’s leading economic partners in the EU. They agreed to enhance cooperation in science and technology, vocational training, and tourism and stressed the importance of building a peaceful and friendly East Sea in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

PM Phuc also attended the Vietnam-Austria Business Forum along with 200 businesses, 60 of them Vietnamese. Mr. Phuc said Vietnam will create favorable conditions for Austrian investors in Vietnam. He urged Austrian enterprises to invest in high-tech agriculture, processing, manufacturing, high-tech zones, infrastructure development, and tourism.

“Vietnam is a large market with a population of almost 100 million. The two countries’ enterprises should learn more about Vietnam’s business types, including state-owned and private enterprises and discuss future cooperative measures. Austrian enterprises can also buy stakes of Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises if they have enough potential in such fields as telecommunications, banking, and insurance,” Mr. Phuc said.