Deputy PM attended Gala Dinner in UAE

Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have seen remarkable progress in bilateral partnership over the past two decades, especially in politics, diplomacy, economics and culture, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stated. 

Vietnam, a big market and a top exporter of many agricultural products, is a promising and safe destination for regional and international investors, including those from the UAE, he said at a gala dinner in Abu Dhabi as part of his ongoing visit to the country. 

At the same time, the UAE has become one of the leading economic partners of Vietnam in Middle East-North Africa, with two-way trade hitting 4.46 billion USD in 2013, a rise of 80 percent over the previous year and 63 times higher that that of 2002, he noted. 

Currently, many UAE giants have been present in Vietnam, including DP World, IPIC, Emirates Investment Gate, Mubadala, Borouge, Sama Dubai, Dubai Holdings and Limitless Tamouh. 

By November this year, UAE investors had had eight projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 135.1 million USD. 

According to the Deputy PM, the "Vietnam Days in the UAE" was held for the first time as part of joint efforts of the two governments in enhancing cultural exchanges and cooperation as well as people-to-people contacts. 

Participants at the gala dinner coming from more than 40 diplomatic corps in the UAE had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese food and traditional music. They were also introduced to the country's famous landscapes and heritages as well as its unique culture. 

On the sidelines of the event, Phuc met with the Office of Tony Blair (OTB)'s resident advisor in the UAE, Andreas Baumgartner, to discuss cooperation outcomes between the Vietnamese Government and the OTB over the past year and future orientations. 

He said Vietnam will step up the restructuring of State-owned enterprises and the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while creating favourable conditions for the private sector. 

Baumgartner pledged that the OTB will serve as a bridge for the UAE business community and Vietnamese SMEs and help the Southeast Asian country in developing support industries. 

Deputy PM Phuc also had meetings with a number of UAE investors, including CEO of AVI Group, and representatives of the Vietnamese community here.-VNA

Source: http://en.vietnamplus.vn/