Viet Nam, Italy celebrate wide ranging partnership

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano receives Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his visit to Rome yesterday.

He was welcomed by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano yesterday as he began an Italy visit, which marks the 40th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties (1973-2013).

Trong said he hoped the visit would mark a new stage in the comprehensive cooperation between the two nations, thanked the Italian people for their enthusiastic support for and valuable assistance to Viet Nam's past struggle for national independence, as well as its current national development.

The Italian president, in turn, spoke highly of Viet Nam's achievements and its role in regional development.

The two leaders expressed their pleasure with the multi-faceted cooperation that had developed between the two countries in recent months.

They put stress on the establishment of a strategic partnership, which they viewed as an important milestone in bilateral ties that would open up opportunities for co-operation and bring mutual benefit.

Trong and his host agreed on measures to deepen bilateral cooperation in economics, trade and investment. They also planned to increase the exchange of high-ranking delegations and work together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Cooperation in politics, education and training, science and technology, culture, tourism and security and defence would be a top priority, they agreed, saying the efficiency of cooperation mechanisms should be improved.

Viet Nam would continue creating favourable conditions for the two countries' businesses to set up partnerships and increase their investment in each country, particularly in infrastructure development, human resources training, mechanical engineering, healthcare and the environment, Trong said.

The two leaders agreed that Viet Nam and Italy should strengthen cooperation at international forums, particularly in the ASEAN-EU framework, and that disputes on the East Sea should be resolved through peaceful negotiations on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The concerned parties need to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and sign a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to ensure peace, stability, maritime freedom and safety in the region, they agreed.

The Italian President accepted Trong's invitation to visit Viet Nam.