Switzerland wants to open a direct air route to Vietnam as part of co-efforts to expand bilateral economic, trade and investment ties, Swiss officials told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.
During the visit to Switzerland February 2 to 3, Deputy PM Nhan had meetings with ice President and Minister for Economics Doris Leuthard, Minister for Home Affairs Pascal Couchepin, and State Secretary for Education and Research Mauro Dell Ambrogio.
Swiss officials said Switzerland pledged to put Vietnam in its priority recipients of Swiss ODA and to increase grants for Vietnam by 20 per cent this year to help the Asean country's economic integration.
They also exchanged views with Deputy PM Nhan on concrete measures to boost the cooperation in prioritized fields such as economy, trade, investment, and education and training.
In return, Nhan hailed Switzerland’s idea of signing a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), which covers Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, in order to boost trade and investment cooperation.
Switzerland promised to boost education and training cooperation with Vietnam, with priority given to personnel training in tourism, finance-banking, and some hi-tech industries such as nuclear energy and nano technology.
The European country promised to help Vietnam train 10-15 doctor-degree holders every year, including the provision of 2-3 full scholarships, and facilitate exchange and joint research between the two countries’ universities.
The two sides agreed to map out a program for government-level education and training cooperation for the 2012-2015 period.
The two sides also agreed to intensify cooperation between their Foreign Ministries. On the occasion, Vietnam and Switzerland initialed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders. (VNA)
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