EC President to Visit Vietnam
President of the European Commission (EC) Jose Manuel Barroso will pay an official visit to Vietnam from November 25-27 at the invitation of Premier Nguyen Tan Dung, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said November 20.
Barroso told Vietnamese Ambassador to the EU Nguyen Manh Dung it is his great honor to be the first EC president to visit Vietnam and expected to meet and discuss with Vietnamese leaders on bilateral cooperation and issues of common concerns.
The EC President noted Vietnam and the European Union (EU) should expand cooperation to other fields such as education and scientific research besides further developing their traditional ties.
With the high economic growth, political stability and achievements in poverty reduction, Vietnam is becoming a typical model for many developing countries, he told the Vietnamese ambassador.
The EU is currently Vietnam’s second biggest export market after the U.S.
Vietnam’s exports to the EU surpassed US$7 billion in 2006, up 2.5 times over 2000, while imports from the bloc were estimated at US$3 billion, or 2.4 times higher than the figure of 2000.
The country is forecast to post an on-year increase of 20 per cent to US$8.5 billion in exports to the EU market this year. (Website of CPV, VNA)
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