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Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) hosts a reception for the new Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam in Hanoi on May 26. Photo: VGP

During a reception for the new Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam in Hanoi on May 26, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh proposed that Vietnam and Singapore closely cooperate and provide mutual support in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and getting access to vaccines safely and effectively.

The deputy prime minister expressed his delight at positive developments in bilateral relations in various fields despite the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that the two sides had continued to effectively maintain exchanges at all levels, especially phone calls between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in April to discuss cooperative priorities.

Concerning economic ties, Singapore remained the largest foreign investor in Vietnam in the first four months of 2021 with a total investment capital of over 4.8 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for nearly 40% of the total in Vietnam, according to VGP.

Notably, 10 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks across Vietnam, nine of which have been put into operation with an occupancy rate of about 77%, have become a symbol of bilateral economic collaboration and should be further promoted, the deputy prime minister stressed.

He aid that Ambassador Jaya Ratnam would make positive contributions to maintaining the strong Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership while working to effectively promote bilateral cooperation and preparing for the organization of the 15th Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity Ministerial Meeting and the 14th political consultation in 2021.

Singapore remained the largest foreign investor in Vietnam in the first four months of 2021 . Photo: VGP

The two sides need to collaborate in reviewing and facilitating the implementation of cooperative contents within the framework of the Vietnam-Singapore Economic Connectivity Agreement and expanding cooperation in areas such as digital economy, smart city, infrastructure development and information technology, he said.

The deputy prime minister also asked the ambassador to beef up cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges and the organization of activities celebrating 50 years of Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic ties and 10 years of strategic partnership in 2023.

He took this occasion to express his thanks to Singapore for supporting Vietnam when the latter assumed the roles as ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, hoping that the two sides would continue to closely coordinate at multilateral forums, especially in ASEAN and the United Nations.

Ambassador Jaya Ratnam thanked Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh for his reception, saying he would make all-out efforts to strengthen the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership.

Malie Nguyen