The agreement was reached during talks in Copenhagen on September 16 between Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung who arrived there the day before on an official visit.

They said that Vietnam and Denmark should increase the exchange of senior-level delegations to promote mutual trust and understanding and expand cooperation in various areas, especially trade, investment, development cooperation, education and training. They will also work closely to prepare for the upcoming visit to Vietnam by Danish Queen Margrethe II scheduled for November 2009.

Both host and guest agreed that their governments should give priority to boosting trade and investment cooperation, strive to raise two-way trade to US$1 billion and Danish investment in Vietnam to the same amount in the coming years. 

Mr Dung confirmed that Vietnam will continue to accelerate its economic reforms and meet all its commitments to the World Trade Organisation.

“Vietnam will create the best possible conditions for Danish businesses to invest and operate efficiently in the country, especially in their specialist areas such as building seaports, maritime transport, beer production, and developing environmentally-friendly technologies,” said Mr Dung.     

The two PMs held a joint press conference on the results of their talks

For his part, Mr Rasmussen assured his guest that Denmark will help Vietnamese goods to easier penetrate his country as well as the huge markets of the EU and Northern Europe. The Scandinavian nation will also continue to provide official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam with a focus on judicial cooperation and minimising the consequences of climate change.

Both leaders underlined the need to promote cooperation in education and training and welcomed the signing of a letter of intent concerning this area between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Danish Ministry of Education.

They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed to work closer in bilateral and multilateral forums.

Mr Dung voiced Vietnam’s support for Denmark’s efforts to strengthen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He said that he will take part in the 15th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 15) to be held in Copenhagen this December and hoped that Denmark will host the event successfully. 

He proposed that the Danish government and people continue to create the right conditions for the Vietnamese community to work and live in a stable manner and act as a bridge between the two nations.

PM Dung invited PM Rasmussen to visit Vietnam and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

On the occasion, the two countries signed a financial agreement on a judicial partnership programme worth Euro18.7 million between the governments of Vietnam, Denmark and Sweden and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the afternoon, PM Rasmussen held a banquet in honour of Mr Dung and his encourage.