Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on January 19 asked the Japanese Diet to support the enhancement of economic, trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam, including the continued provision of ODA for the country. 

 

Welcoming a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians attending the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) in Hanoi, Minh expressed his delight at the strong, rapid and practical development of the bilateral relations in all fields in 2017, especially the high-ranking visits and meetings. 

 

He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to its relations with Japan, while speaking highly of the role of the Diet and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance in boosting bilateral friendship and collaboration. 

 

He proposed the Diet encourage Japanese enterprises to increase their investment in the support industry, energy and hi-tech agriculture in Vietnam, and receive more Vietnamese students as well as workers in the field of construction, as Japan is preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics. 

 

Head of the Japanese delegation Senator Takuji Yanagimoto appreciated Vietnam’s role as the host of the APPF-26. 

 

He affirmed that the Japanese Diet treasures and wants to foster ties with Vietnam in numerous fields, particularly in 2018 when the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. 

 

Vietnam’s economic development has contributed to stability and prosperity in the region and the world as well as Japan’s economic growth, he stated. 

 

He and other parliamentarians expressed their hope for intensified cooperation in economics, education, human resources training, and labour, and in regional and international issues. -VNA/VNP