Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte highlights the Netherlands as a European friend of Vietnam as he has twice officially visited Vietnam in 2014 and 2019, according to Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is on a two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.

In a recent interview granted to VOV regarding the ongoing visit by PM Mark Rutte, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar said that the visit is a particularly important and meaningful event on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties (1973 - 2023).

The visit aims to deepen the sound citizen diplomacy  between Vietnam and the Netherlands, boost broader cooperation on innovative technological solutions in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, high technology, green energy as well as cultural exchange.

Looking back at bilateral cooperation over the past five decades, fruitful cooperation between the two countries is demonstrated through many levels: between governments, businesses, as well as between universities, research institutes and organizations in Vietnam and the Netherlands for many years. This is the foundation for the development of bilateral relations that have been achieved today.

Vietnam and the Netherlands have so far established a strategic partnership on climate change response and water management, a strategic partnership on sustainable agriculture and food security and a comprehensive partnership.

The Netherlands is Vietnam’s second largest trading partner in Europe and the European Union (EU)’s largest investor in Vietnam.

According to nvestment projects are mainly implemented in southern localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, with many projects of major groups operating very effectively.

Cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands is also extremely diverse, from climate change adaptation and water management to sustainable agriculture, food security and defence security, education and training.

Within the framework of the Vietnam visit, Dutch PM Mark Rutte will have a host of meeting with senior Vietnamese leaders,  attend a high-tech, green economy business forum. He is scheduled to launch some activities with local businesses such as going cycling and visiting students at Hanoi - Amsterdam School.

Within the framework of the Vietnam visit, Dutch PM Mark Rutte will have a host of meeting with senior Vietnamese leaders,  attend a high-tech, green economy business forum. He is scheduled to launch  some activities with local businesses such as going cycling and visiting students at Hanoi - Amsterdam School.

Talking about expectations regarding this visit and the prospects of cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, Ambassador Kees van Baar said that the visit is an affirmation of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the Netherlands as it takes place in the context of bilateral relations seeing positive development across a variety of fields, notably investment, trade, agriculture and climate change response.

The two sides regularly maintain delegations at all levels, and many bilateral cooperation mechanisms, closely coordinate and support each other at international forums and organizations.

Currently, the Netherlands ranks 18th in the world and fifth in the EU in terms of GDP size, and ranks second globally in exporting agricultural products with a modern agricultural model.

The European nation is one of the most competitive economies in the world, taking the lead in digital transformation and sustainable development, with high openness, and developed foreign trade, towards green growth.

The Dutch Ambassador said he hoped that the cooperative relations between the two countries will grow and flourish in the future, especially in the fields of innovation and people-to-people exchange.

VOV