Seminar highlights opportunities in Eastern Europe

A seminar on potential trade and investment opportunities in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary was held in central Da Nang city on June 4.

The seminar, held for the first time in Da Nang, is just part of several activities a delegation of trade counselors from the three embassies will undertake from June 3-5, to study the city’s economic development and expand trade and investment links.

According to Szabo Zoltan, from the Hungarian embassy, his country is interested in cooperating with Vietnam thanks to the Southeast Asian country’s dynamic economy, rich trading opportunities, attractive investment environment and stable political scene.

Vietnamese enterprises are also being offered the chance to start operating in the European country because of its low corporate income tax and productive workforce. In particular, Hungary, a member of the European Union has access to a market of 500 million consumers, he added.

Martin Vlastnik, the Czech embassy’s First Secretary of the Economy and Trade said that in recent years, bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries have risen dramatically.

In 2006, the figure was 92 million USD, climbing to 155 million USD in 2008 and reached 73.9 million USD in the first half of this year.

Nine Czech-funded ODA projects in Vietnam worth a total 8 million USD have been completed. Another 13 ODA projects, with a total capital of over 12.1 million USD, are currently underway.

The diplomats also analysed the impacts of the current financial crisis on bilateral ties between Vietnam and their respective countries and suggested a number of solutions.

The Deputy Head of VCCI’s International Relations Department, Nguyen Ngoc Thang, said that Vietnam has developed its traditional ties and friendship with the three eastern European countries for many decades. However, growth in trade and economic cooperation and investment in recent years has so far failed to match their potential, he added.

The event is also within the framework of the Vietnam-EU business forum.

VietNamNet, vietnamplus

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