PM Nguyen Tan Dung (centre) is welcomed at Tegel airport in Berlin (Photo: VNA)

(VOVworld) – Gerhard Will, Asia analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, says Vietnam's ties with Germany play "a prominent role” in Vietnam and the European Union. German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) provided some vivid examples of Vietnam-EU trade ties. Over the past decade two-way trade has increased from 5 billion to 26 billion Euros. According to DW, PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s Europe tour will widen bilateral ties and boost the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that on Tuesday European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and PM Nguyen Tan Dung reiterated the importance of promptly signing the free trade deal. According to Xinhua, at the meeting with PM Nguyen Tan Dung, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said that the EU and Vietnam are long-term partners. Xinhua said Van Rompuy spotlighted the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2012 as vigorous and substantial growth of Viet Nam – EU relations.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s 3-day visit to Belgium and the EU which concluded on Tuesday, became the focus of Belgium’s French and English press. The online newspaper Le Soir, one of the biggest daily papers in Belgium, ran an article describing PM Nguyen Tan Dung as the first foreign state leader to meet with new Prime Minister Charles Michel. According to La Libre, the meeting between the two government leaders attracted the attention of many Belgians. The Belgian news network ‘7 sur 7’ focused on the meeting of the two leaders, where two major cooperation agreement were signed, one to help Vietnam launch its second satellite and one to build the new Hai Phong International Port, a joint project of Belgium’s Rent-A-Port of Anvers City and Hai Phong’s Dinh Vu Industrial Park.