Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu and Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Bahrain Foreign Ministry Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Photo: MOFA)

While stay in Bahrain from February 11-12, Deputy FM Hieu had meetings with Hamad Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and Vice Chairwoman of the ASEAN-Bahrain Council Feryal Abdullah Nass.

At the meetings, the two sides shared delight at the first political consultation between the two foreign ministries since they signed a memorandum of understanding in 2007, as well as the development in bilateral cooperation, especially in politics-diplomacy. However, they agreed that economic collaboration between the two countries has yet to match their potential and aspirations.

Deputy FM Hieu and Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Bahrain Foreign Ministry Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa agreed that the two Foreign Ministries should work closely together in implementing measures to enhance the efficiency of bilateral partnership, including increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high level, and promoting people-to-people exchange.

At the same time, the two sides will coordinate with and support each other at international and regional forums and organisations, while encouraging businesses of both sides to increase their connectivity and engage in trade and investment promotion activities to explore business opportunities, and enhancing cooperation among business associations of the two sides, including the ASEAN-Bahrain Council and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), creating favourable conditions for the import and export of strong products of each country to each other’s market.

The two countries should expand partnership to potential areas such as oil and gas, energy, tourism, logistics and Halal industry, and negotiate for agreements that facilitate legal cooperation, they said.

On the occasion, the two sides also discussed a number of regional and international issues of shared concern.

Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, highlighted Bahrain’s economic cooperation strategy towards ASEAN countries, including Vietnam. He said that the two countries share many similarities in boosting major development areas, and pledged to actively assist ministries, sectors and enterprises of the two sides to partner with each other.

Hieu suggested that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce continue to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods to enter Bahrain, and assist Vietnamese firms to expand operations in the country. He also gave proposals on specific cooperation among ministries, sectors and economic agencies of the two sides.

At the meeting with Vice Chairwoman of the ASEAN-Bahrain Council Feryal Abdullah Nass, Hieu lauded the council’s active role in promoting the economic ties between Bahrain and ASEAN countries. He asked for the council’s support in connecting businesses of both sides, and invited members of the council to visit Vietnam to seek cooperation and investment chances.

Feryal Abdullah Nass said that leaders of the council are interested in Vietnam, and committed to coordinating with the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to conduct trade promotion activities in the time to come.

Hieu took this occasion to meet representatives of a number of businesses of the host country and some Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the country.