(VOVworld) – President Tran Dai Quang has pledged favorable and fair business environment for the benefits of Vietnamese and Italian businesses and to meet the needs of international integration.

Mr. Quang, who is visiting Italy, was speaking at the Vietnam-Italy Business Forum on Wednesday organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, the Italian Employers’ Association, and the Italian Trade Promotion Agency. President Quang said Italy is one of Vietnam’s major European trade partners with total turnover increasing from 3.4 billion USD in 2013 to 4.3 billion USD in 2015. Vietnam is Italy’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN. He said: “A promising future is opening for us. Vietnam wants to elevate the strategic partnership with Italy to a new height, suitable to their potential, strength, and needs, becoming a model of Asia-Europe and ASEAN-EU relationship.”

President Quang said both countries are able to increase bilateral trade to 6 billion USD by 2018 as the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU will be signed soon. He called on Italy to open its market to Vietnamese agricultural and aqua produce and to boost cooperation with Vietnam in tourism.