Vietnam and the Czech Republic will enhance environmental collaboration under an action plan for cooperation during 2020-2025 signed between Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha and his Czech counterpart Richard Brabec in Prague on December 13.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha (R)
and his Czech counterpart Richard Brabec (Photo: VNA) 

At the event, the two ministers spoke highly of the unceasingly consolidated traditional friendship between the two nations, describing it as a foundation for the environment ministries and sectors of both sides to boost cooperation in this field.

Ha highlighted that the signing of the action plan, implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two ministries in 2012 and the Vietnam-Czech environmental business forum will serve as a base for competent authorities of both sides to concretise cooperative activities in environment, climate change and technology transfer.

He particularly laid stress on the business forum, saying it was included in the action plan to enhance cooperation and share investment opportunities between the two nations.

Ha hoped that both sides will work together in waste and sewage treatment technologies, waste-to-energy technologies, as well as environmental monitoring capacity improvement.

Richard Brabec, for his part, said both nations hold huge potential to branch out collaboration in renewable energy, while hailing the signing of the action plan, saying it will create conditions for Czech businesses to land investment in the Southeast Asian country in the environmental field.

Ha told the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent that the Czech Republic is a member of the European Union (EU), and has a well-developed industry. As the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU was signed, it is necessary for Vietnam to learn experience from the Czech Republic in completing legal mechanisms and policies in tandem with the EU standards.

Particularly, the Czech Republic has been a pioneer in waste and sewage treatment, and has many treatment technologies that suit the Vietnamese environmental conditions, he added.

Meanwhile, Richard Brabec said that his country had to face environmental problems during its economic development in the past three decades like Vietnam.

It’s time for Vietnam to move to use renewable energy, and the Czech Republic stands ready to share experience with the Southeast Asian nation in the management of environmental protection, including building legal framework, he underlined.