(VOVworld) - President Truong Tan Sang met in Denmark on Thursday with Danish Parliament Speaker Mogens Lykketoft as part of his visit there.  Sang emphasized the contribution of Denmark’s official development assistance (ODA) to improving the living conditions of Vietnamese people in rural and remote areas, as well as increasing the capacity of Vietnamese agencies in several areas including public governance, administrative reform, and climate change adaptation.

While in Denmark, President Sang has met with Danish entrepreneurs and university leaders, and visited some Danish businesses.

On this occasion, Vietnam and Denmark have issued a joint statement on their comprehensive partnership. The two countries will continue intensifying their regular contacts and dialogues between their leaders, and cooperation forums such as the UN, the WTO, and EU-ASEAN. The two sides reiterated their determination to foster bilateral trade relations and trade promotion activities to boost trade and capital flow in both countries. They pledged to support cooperation activities between their educational and research institutions, and to continue general cooperation in education and research.  Vietnam and Denmark applauded the start of negotiations for the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (VEFTA) in, June 2012 when Denmark held the presidency of the EU Council. The two leaders agreed that priority should be given to energy, environmental and green growth,   educational and scientific research and human resources development, including higher education and vocational training. The two sides will also step up cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

President Sang on Friday attended a Vietnam-Denmark Business Forum and met with Frank Jensen, Governor of Copenhagen. During the meeting, President Sang said Hanoi and Copenhagen have the potential to boost cooperation in various areas. Copenhagen’s achievements, which have made it one of the world’s greenest and happiest cities, is the model for Hanoi in particular and other cities in Vietnam in general to follow. President Sang witnessed the signing of an MoU between the leaders of Hanoi and Copenhagen to enhance cooperation and mutual support in planning, infrastructure construction, and green growth.

Speaking at the Vietnam-Denmark Business Forum, President Sang said Vietnam is a fast growing economy of 90 million people and pro-active in its global integration process. The country has a stable socio-political environment and an abundant, young labor force. Vietnam consistently reforms its investment environment to facilitate foreign investors including Danish companies, to engage in long-term business in Vietnam. Denmark has become one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners in northern Europe and the EU. President Sang said: "Vietnam and Denmark have great potential for cooperation. It’s high time for our countries to enhance economic cooperation. Denmark is a developed economy with abundant resources, advanced scientific and technological potential, an abundant and skillful work force, and a large market. Your advantages in wind and renewable power, marine transport, seaport building, pharmaceutical industry, machines, and food processing are areas that Vietnam wants to cooperate in."

President Sang said that with its favorable geographical position in the center of Southeast Asia, Vietnam was willing to be a bridge for Danish companies to do business in the country and in the other ASEAN markets of 620 million people. Sang said that Vietnam welcomes and provides the best possible conditions for Danish businesses to be successful in Vietnam. He believed that through the Business Forum, more contracts would be signed and more Danish businesses would come to Vietnam.