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Vietnam sets example in working together with international donors
(Thai Press Reports Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Section: Regional News - Vietnam is a model country with regard to working with the international donor community towards the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, said the European Commission (EC)'s Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Ferrero-Waldner, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from April 21-23 at the invitation of Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, made the remark at a press conference in Hanoi on April 22.
The EU is one of Vietnam's important trading partners and is one of the country's leading foreign direct investors, therefore, the EU has a great interest in the future development of Vietnam, the Commissioner said. She added that Vietnam has sped up its reform process and the EU wants to help the country to reach its reform goals.
Regarding her current visit to Vietnam, Ferrero-Waldner said: "This is my first visit as the EC's Commissioner of External Relations to Vietnam. I have come at the moment when the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is just meeting and I do hope that this is an excellent occasion to show that the reform process of this government will go on." The diplomat said she hoped that this will also be a chance to assess the potential to advance the cooperation between Vietnam and the EU to a new height, not only in the areas of trade and investment, but in other fields as well.
Ferrero-Waldner also praised Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development and poverty reduction as well as the country's renewal (Doi Moi) process. "I am impressed with both the social and the economic development of Vietnam, because you have really already cut poverty by at least a third, and you have had sustained growth. Therefore, I think you are a model case," she said.
Regarding the EU's introduction of anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese footwear, the Commissioner said: "We are following the WTO rules. You know that Vietnam also aspires to become a member of the WTO very soon. The WTO of course brings rights but it also brings obligations, and anti-dumping rules have to be applied. But at the same time we have been looking with comprehension and understanding at the difficult situation of Vietnam." She added that the objective of the decision was not to limit the export of Vietnam's footwear to the EU market, but to ensure fair prices. The EU also recognises the great importance of footwear for the Vietnamese economy, therefore, the bloc has tried to limit the impacts of the sanctions, she said. - VNA
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