Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and the visiting counterpart of Finland Tarja Halonen witnessed February 21 in Hanoi the signing ceremony of four important cooperation agreements, proving the closer relations between the two nations.
The pacts are the agreement on investment promotion and protection, another on financing the Trust Fund for Forest and two memorandums of understanding on scientific and technological cooperation between Vietnam's Ministry of Sciences and Technology and Finland's Ministry of Economy and Employment and aviation transport cooperation.
Triet and Tarja Halonen, who is now on a three-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the host, earlier discussed each nation's socioeconomic development and also agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in some joint international issues, including the global warming.
The Finnish leader emphasized her country wants stronger multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, with priorities given to environmental protection, energy, forestation, education and training.
She also hoped to welcome the Vietnamese President for an official visit to Finland in near future.
Halonen and her entourage also held on the same day talks with the PM Nguyen Tan Dung, the Chairman of National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong.
“Businesses of Finland are interested in investing into the rapid growth market of Vietnam and expect to sign many contracts with local firms after the visit,” she told the PM Dung at the meeting.
Halonen, the first Finnish President to visit Vietnam since the two countries set up diplomatic ties in 1973, is accompanied by a delegation of 20 leading firms in the fields of IT, telecom, shipbuilding, elevator-manufacturing, aviation, pharmacy, paper pulp industry, energy, mining and metallurgy and banking. (New Hanoi, Pioneer, Saigon Times)
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