(VOVworld)-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday concluded a 2-day official visit to Vietnam. Prime Minister  Abe held talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, paid courtersy visits to Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang, and met National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Both sides agreed to maintain high-level meetings and improve dialogue mechanisms to consolidate political trust. Vietnam and Japan reached a consensus on the need to increase security and defense cooperation including demining and marine law enforcement and promote trade and investment. Japan pledged more than 1 billion USD in Official Development Assistance for Vietnam in maritime security, climate change response, waste water discharge and treatment.

PM Shinzo Abe is warmly welcomed in Vietnam (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

The 2 sides restated their commitment to closer cooperation in regional and international forums and agreed on the importance of ensuring peace, safety, security and freedom of navigation and overflight. They stressed that it’s important for parties involved to avoid actions that create tensions and militarization, leading to changes to the status quo in the East Sea. Both sides agreed to promote the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, respecting diplomatic and legal processes, not use or theaten to use force, and respect international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea toward an early building on the Code of Conduct.

Prime Minister Abe and his Vietname counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc co-chaired a discussion with Vietnamese and Japanese businesses. Prime Minister Phuc said Vietnam is trying to become a leading ASEAN country in terms of its investment climate in 2017. Mr. Phuc called for Japanese investment in green growth, industry, high-quality infrastructure, agriculture and services, finance, banking and tourism. Prime Minister Abe said he believes Japanese businesses will enjoy long-term operations in Vietnam and cooperate closely with their Vietnamese partners.

PM  Shinzo Abe receives the Party Central Committee’s Commission on Organization Pham Minh Chinh (Photo: VNA)

During a meeting with Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission on Organization Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister Abe said that human resource training is of paramount importance and Japan is ready to help Vietnam in the training of managers at all levels. Mr. Chinh, who is President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, called for Japan’s support for Vietnam’s human resource development and administrative reform.

The Japanese Prime Minister also met leaders of Hanoi National University and officials and students of Vietnam-Japan University.

PM Shinzo Abe talks with officals and students of Vietnam-Japan University (Photo: VNA)