|
ADB pledges more support
Viet Nam highly valued the contribution of the Asian Development Bank to the nation's development and wished to expand the scale of co-operation, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told visiting ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda here on Feb. 28.
Dung highlighted the effective co-operation of ADB operations in Viet Nam, saying that Viet Nam effectively used the bank's loans.
He said the Government welcomed the upcoming ADB annual meeting and said Vietnamese agencies considered the meeting a significant event.
In terms of the current economic situation, Dung said Viet Nam had taken comprehensive and drastic measures to mobilise all sources to assure economic growth, curb inflation and provide social welfare.
"The nation has spared no efforts to improve infrastructure, enhance the quality of human resources, build an equal society, and reduce the levels of poverty and environmental pollution," he said.
President Kuroda said the bank planned to increase loans to Viet Nam to US$2 billion in the future.
He also said that apart from measures taken by Viet Nam to curb inflation, the nation should focus on the gap between the rich and the poor and climate change.
He said Viet Nam needed to improve human resources and infrastructure to serve long-term economic growth and increase per capita income.
"Although Viet Nam has recently progressed to Middle Income Country status, it still faces many global challenges, including climate change," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pham Gia Khiem told the ADB President at a reception in the capital city yesterday.
The sea level rises will have negative impacts on millions of Vietnamese people. So will the country's agricultural industry," he said.
Khiem expressed his wish that the bank continue to support Viet Nam in the future. He welcomed the ADB's decision to select Viet Nam as the venue for the 44th Board of Governors Annual Meeting, which is slated for May 3-6 in Ha Noi.
"This is an occasion for Viet Nam, the host, to showcase its socio-economic achievements, particularly the gains in poverty reduction as well as its rich culture and tourism potential," said Khiem.
Khiem told the ADB President that Viet Nam would do all it can to make sure the meeting is a success.
President Kuroda expressed his hope that the relationship between Viet Nam and the bank would further flourish in the future. He pledged to continue to support Viet Nam's infrastructure development, financial planning and education.
He expressed his belief that Viet Nam's economy would continue its development and that the population's living conditions would improve. The bank's president thanked the Vietnamese government for supporting the bank's preparations for its annual meeting.
Viet Nam joined the ADB in 1966 as one of the founding members.
vietnamnews
|
