At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos paid an official visit to Viet Nam from 11 to 14 July, 2016.

During the visit, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos held talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, met with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Tran Dai Quang, attended the Viet Nam- Romania Business Forum, called at the Viet Nam-Romania Friendship Association and visited Quang Ninh province.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh received Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comănescu.

At the meetings, the two sides informed each other of the political, and socio-economic situation and priorities in foreign policy and economy of each country and exchanged on specific measures to promote bilateral relations, and discussed international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Viet Nam always attaches importance to developing friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with traditional countries in Central Eastern Europe, including Romania. He congratulated Romania on the great achievements in national development and European integration.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos appreciated the impressive achievements of the people of Viet Nam in socio-economic development.

The Prime Ministers reviewed the traditional friendship between Viet Nam and Romania in 66 years, welcomed the significant progress achieved in all areas of bilateral cooperation, and pointed to potentials to expand cooperation. The two Government leaders particularly emphasized to further develop bilateral relations.

The two sides affirmed that political dialogue is of especially importance in enhancing understanding and mutual trust between the two countries and promoting bilateral relations. To this end, the two leaders agreed to strengthen high-level contacts and take advantage of international conferences as well as other opportunities to meet to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The two Prime Ministers agreed to continue to expand and diversify economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on some key areas, such as trade, energy, banking, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, information technology, science and technology, environmental protection, climate change, tourism as well as other areas of mutual interest.

The Prime Ministers also agreed to consider the possibility of cooperation between industrial parks and clusters of business and the highly competitive fields of Viet Nam and Romania, while encouraging participation in international trade fairs by each party organizations.

The two sides welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement and believed that the early conclusion and implementation of this Agreement will vigorously promote cooperation in trade and investment between Viet Nam and Romania, opening up the prospect of recognition of market economy of Viet Nam.

The two sides stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of science and innovation, agreed to accelerate the signing of a new cooperation program between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic Socialist of Viet Nam and the National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation of Romania for the period of 2017-2018.

The Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of a number of important documents aimed at expanding the scope of bilateral cooperation. The Romanian leader informed the Prime Minister of the Government of Romania decided to double the number of scholarships granted to Vietnamese students who wish to study in Romania.

The Prime Ministers affirmed the need to strengthen cooperation between agencies of Viet Nam and Romania in the field of law enforcement and welcomed the prospect of the signing the Agreement on cooperation on anti-terrorism, organized crime and other crimes between the two countries.

The Prime Minister strongly condemned international terrorism, radical violence in all forms and manifestations, expressing the determination to deepen cooperation in this field.

The two Government leaders pledged to support the enhancement of people's exchanges, one of the important measures to enhance mutual understanding and sustainable development of bilateral relations.

The Prime Minister also appreciated the prominent role of the Viet Nam-Romania Friendship Society in promoting the friendship, economic exchanges and culture between the two countries in 25 years of its operation in its role as a solid connection between the two peoples of Viet Nam and Romania.

The Prime Ministers discussed issues of international and regional concern, emphasizing the good cooperation between Viet Nam and Romania in the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The Prime Ministers expressed steadfast support for the development of ASEM and the perception that linkage is a critical factor in building trust and stability. This cooperation is necessary for both Asia and Europe, facilitating joint efforts to address global and regional challenges. To this end, the two Heads of Government emphasized their support to peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including the Convention of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea.

The two sides agreed to continue to coordinate the implementation of the Greater Mekong Subregion projects and the Danube river projects in the framework of ASEM Dialogue on Sustainable Development, with the participation of the central and local agencies.

The two sides pledged to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, ASEM, Viet Nam-EU relations and ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed thanks to the Government of Romania for creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese community living, working and doing business in Romania. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos appreciated the contribution of the Vietnamese community in strengthening the friendship between the two countries, confirming Romania will continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Romania to stable their life, settle and integrate into the host country.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the results of the official visit to Viet Nam by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, considering it a political event of significance in consolidating and strengthening the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Romania.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos expressed his heartfelt thanks for the warm welcome given by Viet Nam to him and the Romanian high-ranking delegation. On this occasion, the Romanian Prime Minister invited Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to pay an official visit to Romania at convenient time. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc sincerely thanked and gladly accepted the invitation. The time the visit will be agreed through diplomatic channel.