A delegation of the ASEAN Committee in Madrid (ACM) led by Vietnamese Ambassador to Spain Ngo Tien Dung, who is also President of the ACM in 2019, visited the Spanish region of Basque from 1-4 April.

A production line manufacturing electronic devices (Illustrative photo: VNA)

The trip aims to promote relations between Basque and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), study the local market, and seek cooperation opportunities between all sides.

At a working session with President of the Basque region Lehendakari Inigo Urkullu Renteria and Speaker of the Basque Parliament Tejeria Otermin, Dung briefed them on ASEAN’s current affairs, as well as potential and opportunities for cooperation with the bloc.

The ambassador noted his wish for stronger cooperation between localities of ASEAN member countries and Basque, as well as between ASEAN countries and Spain across all spheres, especially in trade and investment.

Basque’s leaders affirmed the intention to enhance all-round collaboration with ASEAN countries, particularly in the areas Basque holds strengths in, like the auto industry, aviation, environment, industrial design, machinery, and technology.

Within the trip, the Madrid embassies of ASEAN countries worked with Basque’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment to organise a conference on trade and investment promotion in ASEAN. The conference was held in the city of Bilbao, the economic centre of Basque, on April 2.

The event – which brought together more than 50 leading businesses of Basque – answered the demands of Spanish enterprises interested in investment and business opportunities in Asia, especially Southeast Asia.

Ambassador Dung and Trade Counsellor of Viet Nam Nguyen Duc Thuong introduced Vietnam’s economic potential and the industries in which the country is calling for investment, especially those which overlap with areas that businesses in Spain and particularly Bilbao hold strengths in, like urban development, energy, and agriculture.

They also spoke of opportunities that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) would generate for businesses of both sides.

On the occasion, Dung attended a working session on investment in Vietnam within the WindEurope Conference and Exhibition which was held in Bilbao from April 2-4.

The ambassador highlighted Vietnam’s prioritisation of the development of renewable energy, particularly wind power.

Several Vietnamese and Spanish firms operating in Vietnam also shared information and experience in wind power development in the Southeast Asian nation.

(Source: VNA)