VGP – With over three fourth of the vote, the European Parliament (EP) passed an official resolution to ratify the Viet Nam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) on December 17 at its plenary session in Strasbourg city, France.
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The European Parliament in Strasbourg city, France |
The resolution welcomes Viet Nam’s outcomes in “Doi Moi” (reform) and integration over the past time and hails the country’s role and position in regional and global arena.
It said cooperation between the EU and Viet Nam has developed rapidly since they established diplomatic ties 25 years ago, moving from an initial focus on trade and aid to cooperation and comprehensive partnership.
The EP emphasized that the signing of the PCA with Viet Nam demonstrates the strategic significance of the Southeast Asian country as a key partner of the EU in the region and ASEAN.
The EP also highlighted that the PCA would cement and deepen the Viet Nam-EU relations in such areas as trade, investment, development cooperation and others like social affairs, democracy, human rights, and joint settlement of regional and global challenges.
Besides, the resolution also expressed the EP’s concerns over illegal and unilateral actions that cause tensions in the East Sea, threatening peace, security, stability, international trade and fundamental benefits of the EU in the region as well as navigation safety and freedom on the EU’s main maritime trade routes.
The resolution also calls on China and related parties to reduce tensions in the East Sea while stressing the need to resolve disputes via peaceful means, build trust, and hold bilateral and regional negotiations on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
By Kim Loan
