This is the theme of a recent workshop organised in Hanoi by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Vietnam. The event aimed to create a communication channel and help the Vietnamese business community to access advanced technologies and achievements of Azerbaijan’s energy sector in general and oil and gas industry in particular.
Pham Thi Thu Hang, General Secretary of VCCI, said that the workshop offers a good chance for Vietnamese businesses to access Azerbaijan’s advanced technologies, expand partnerships and seek new energy sources for Vietnam’s development in the coming time.
Currently, Vietnamese oil and gas firms like Vietsovpetro and Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) are the flagships in economic development and SME community support.
Commercially, the two-way trade turnover reached US$30 million in 2012 and US$325 million in 2013, an increase of more than 10 times in just a year. Vietnam mainly exports telephones, seafood and cereal products to Azerbaijan, while importing crude oil and petroleum there.
She added that Vietnam will have many new cooperation opportunities as it is preparing to conclude some important free trade agreement (FTAs) like Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Vietnam-EU FTA and the Vietnam - Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Therefore, Vietnam will not only be a market of 90 million people but also a gateway for foreign firms to enter the ASEAN market.
She added that the lawmaking National Assembly of Vietnam is planning to vote for the Law on Enterprises and the Law on Investment aimed to create a more favourable business environment for foreign investors in Vietnam. With these two new laws, Vietnam hopes to receive more attention of foreign companies in general and energy companies in particular.
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov said it is high time the two countries set up new partnerships, sped up existing projects and discussed new ones. He also called upon businesses to seize this opportunity to join hands in developing the energy industry.
Nguyen Vu Truong Son, Deputy General Director of PetroVietnam, said that Vietnam is waiting for Azerbaijan’s cooperation in oil and gas exploration and exploitation. And, Azerbaijani investment projects will help develop energy projects in Vietnam.
Azerbaijan has a developed energy industry, particularly the oil and gas sector. According to Ambassador Imanov and SOCAR Group, in 1941, Azerbaijan provided more than 70 percent of petroleum for the former Soviet Union. SOCAR Group of Azerbaijan is considered one of the largest companies in the world today. The group is engaged in all aspects of the oil and gas industry, ranging from exploration, well construction, refining and condensation to oil and gas transportation, petrochemical manufacturing and distribution.
Anh Mai
Vietnamese
