(VOV) – A workshop to launch a strategic dialogue program to support the implementation of the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement took place on Tuesday in Hanoi.

The event was organized by the delegation of the European Union to Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program was financed by the EU with 2.9 million euro and lasts for 3 years, supporting the implementation of the Vietnam-EU agreement on comprehensive partnership and cooperation signed last year in Brussels, Belgium. Deputy Foreign Minister, Bui Thanh Son, said: "The Vietnam-EU agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation not only fine-tunes bilateral relations between Vietnam and the EU in economics, trade, education and training, science, industry, agriculture, tourism but also consolidated partnership in regional and international forums to deal with the global challenges of climate change, environmental disaster, energy security, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction, terrorism and organized crime".

Doctor Franz Jessen, Head of the EU delegation to Vietnam, said: "The EU sees cooperation for development an important part to our cooperation with Vietnam. We are taking consideration of a cooperation program for the 2014-2020 period and will work with Vietnamese delegation to identify areas for cooperation between the two sides". 

The Vietnam-EU strategic dialogue program supports Vietnam in research, wherein civil society creates the conditions for the two sides to exchange on issues of mutual concern within the framework of the Vietnam-EU agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation. The program also finances policy research and organizes senior conferences and training courses with EU and international experts.