Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel hosts a welcome ceremony for PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Palais d'Egmont Palace

 After the welcome ceremony at the Palais d’Egmont, talks were held between the two Prime Ministers.

At a joint press conference afterwards, they said they had agreed to promote cooperation in multiple fields and had discussed cooperation in education and training, a framework to enhance free trade agreements between Vietnam and the EU. The two countries will help each other ensure peace and security in the East Sea and protest unilateral actions that violate peace and international law.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said Belgium wants to work with Vietnam in agriculture, helping Vietnam develop clean agriculture and procedures to ensure food safety.

 Prime Minister Phuc said his 4-day visit to Belgium is particularly important because it coincides with the 45^th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.

Mr. Phuc told the press that he and PM Michel had agreed to bolster ties in agriculture, education, training, culture, transportation and business investment, with the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement to be signed soon.

The two Prime Ministers introduce members of their high-ranking delegations

 Following their talks, the leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents between their countries’ agencies and businesses.

Also signed were a strategic partnership agreement on agriculture between the two Governments, a MoU on improving food safety and hygiene between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, and another MoU on establishing a bilateral political consultation mechanism between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

A number of businesses from the two countries also signed cooperation agreements.