President Phúc holds meetings with heads of WTO, FIFA, UN agencies in Geneva

GENEVA — As part of his official visit to Switzerland, Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Sunday (local time) held several meetings with heads of WTO, FIFA, UN Office in Geneva, Geneva's local leaders, and the Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to the UN and Vietnamese experts working at international organisations in Geneva.

At the meeting with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Phúc thanked the WTO for its attention and support given to Việt Nam's socio-economic development.

He said that from a war-torn country, Việt Nam has gradually risen to become a major exporter and effectively solved social security problems, thus improving people's living standards. Việt Nam is also an active and responsible member in international affairs.

In the development process, Việt Nam also maintains a consistent policy of promoting international economic integration, supports the role of the WTO, and is willing to work closely with the Office of the WTO Director-General and other members in all activities of the organisation.

In the future, the WTO should focus on solving a number of technical problems in order to maintain its effective operation in the context of more and more disputes and trade remedies arising, he noted.

“Việt Nam supports the WTO’s reform efforts and initiatives on the basis of maintaining a balance between rights and obligations, ensuring that they are appropriate to the development level and implementation capacity of its members, especially developing and underdeveloped ones,” he stressed.

For her part, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed her impression of Việt Nam’s achievements in socio-economic development and international economic integration in general as well as in the implementation of co妹妹itments and obligations within the WTO framework.

Especially, she praised Việt Nam’s impressive achievements in improving people's lives and reducing poverty, saying it is a good model for all developing countries to follow.

The WTO Director-General also appreciated Việt Nam’s efforts in producing COVID- 一 九 vaccines, working with the world in the fight against the pandemic.

The same day, President Phúc visited Geneva State and was warmly welcomed by President of the state’s Council Serge Dal Busco.

The Geneva leader spoke highly of Việt Nam’s socio-economic development achievements and expressed his delight at the good results of the multifaceted cooperation that the two sides have obtained since the establishment of diplomatic relations in  一 九 七 一. He believed that these are solid foundations that contribute to promoting bilateral cooperation.

President Phúc asked the leaders of Geneva state to create favourable conditions for local businesses to expand investment and business cooperation with Việt Nam. He suggested the state study the establishment of partnerships with Vietnamese localities, especially in the fields of Geneva’s strengths such as economy-finance, tourism, science-high technology, medicine, economy, environment, and urban planning and development.