VOV.VN - Vietnam always greatly values the role of the Philippines in ASEAN, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a reception for Foreign Minister of the Philippines Teodoro Lopez Locsin in Hanoi on July 8.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) hosts Foreign Minister
of the Philippines Teodoro Lopez Locsin.

Minister Teodoro Lopez Locsin told his host that he had successful talks with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, describing it as a testimony to close relations between the two countries.

He suggested the Philippines and Vietnam should work harder to clearly show their roles as they are the two most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia.

He called for both sides to step up defence and security cooperation in addition to economic ties towards improving their national defence capacity, adding that his nation desires to soon sign an agreement on import and export of fruits and farm products, considering the deal as the top priority.

In reply, PM Phuc extolled the close coordination between the two countries at international forums and urged business communities strengthen exchanges to reach higher two-way trade.

He also suggested augmenting cooperation in sea issues, agriculture and energy via organizing more visits and trade promotion activities.

The Vietnamese government leader affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to support the Philippines in working as the ASEAN-China coordinator in 2019-2021 while expecting the Philippines to work closely with Vietnam during the latter’s ASEAN 2020 Chairmanship and the UN Security Council’s non-permanent membership in 2020-2021.

PM Phuc hailed the Philippines’s positive contributions to the negotiation for a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) and voiced his hope that the country will continue expediting the early achievement of a comprehensive, practical and efficient COC when it is the coordinator of ASEAN-China relations.