Italy – Vietnam. Gentiloni meets Pham Binh Minh: goal to reach 5 billion euro bilateral trade volume

“Vietnam is our privileged strategic partner in Asia. The state visit of President Tran Dai Quang, in return for President Mattarella’s visit to Hanoi last year, following Prime Minister Renzi’s visit in 2014, testifies to the excellent relations between the two countries. The aim is to meet the 5-billion euro target for bilateral trade between the two countries in the next two years.”
That was the statement delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Paolo Gentiloni, at the end of his meeting at the Farnesina with the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh, for the signing ceremony of the 2017-2018 Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Bilateral Strategic Partnership. This meeting will be followed by the official state visit of the President of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang, which will begin tomorrow in Rome. 
Both ministers highlighted the solid partnership between Rome and Hanoi, as Vietnam is Italy’s first trade partner in Southeastern Asia. It is a destination of attractive business opportunities for companies, especially in the fields of infrastructure, energy, defense and manufacturing. Italy and Vietnam are also committed to expanding cultural, scientific and university education cooperation agreements. Mr Gentiloni and Mr Pham Binh Minh have pledged for a more fruitful cooperation in multilateral fora and on issues of common interest, within the framework of EU-ASEAN relations.