Slovakia is willing to co-operate with and assist Vietnam in developing its energy industry, Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak said at the Vietnam-Slovakia Business Forum in Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.
The Slovakian guest highlighted Vietnam’s great potential for developing its energy industry. He praised the country for its visionary energy development strategy, pointing the sector in the right direction, aiming to build Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant by 2030 in addition to existing hydropower and thermal power facilities.
Deputy PM Miroslav Lajcak noted that Slovakia’s energy security strategy intended to provide a reasonable electricity price for consumers, ensure the sector’s export orientation, and make Slovakia an energy transit country in Europe. He also said Slovakia’s energy mainly comes from atomic energy plants, compressed natural gas, and renewable energy sources. The Slovakian Deputy PM said economic development should go in hand with energy efficiency, noting that the co-operation between Vietnam and Slovakia should go in this direction.
The forum, co-organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Slovakian Embassy in Vietnam, also discussed bilateral co-operation opportunities in a number of other fields, such as healthcare, the environment, trade, and commerce.
According to VCCI, two-way trade exceeded US$400 million in 2013, an increase of 35% compared to the previous year. During the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade totaled US$281 million, including US$262 million in exports to Slovakia. Slovakia is currently operating five investment projects worth US$235 million in Vietnam.
Earlier that day, the Slovakian Deputy PM held a working session with FPT Software in Ho Chi Minh City’s High-Tech Park. He said that FPT’s purchase of Slovakian RWE IT in June this year was a fine example of the close co-operation between the two countries.
Source: nhandan.org.vn
