Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen suggested that Vietnam and Finland give a high priority to co-operation in developing clean industries, ensuring sustainable development and a balance among economy, society and environment.

Speaking at the Vietnam-Finland Business Forum on November 17 in Ho Chi Minh City, during the final leg of his Vietnam visit, PM Vanhanen reiterated the commitment Finland made in the European joint agreement on responses to global climate change, saying that the framework must be expanded to help countries outside Europe, especially the most vulnerable ones, like Vietnam .

He affirmed that his country will provide practical assistance to Vietnam through projects and programmes to develop renewable energy, particularly in the Mekong Delta, and will also encourage and support public-private co-operation in developing green technologies.

“Finnish businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, have wide ranging experience in taking solutions for water, gas filtering, recycling, the production of renewable energy, and the reduction of environmental pollution,” he said.

At the forum, which drew representatives from 130 Vietnamese and Finnish businesses, Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan delivered a speech highlighting Vietnam ’s economic prospects and areas of potential for business co-operation.

During a meeting with Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Le Hoang Quan on the same day, PM Vanhanen appreciated the city’s role in the country’s impressive development over the past years.
He stressed his aim of seeking Vietnamese partners to develop clean industries, apply strategies for environmental protection, ensure social welfare and provide services to the people.

The Ho Chi Minh City mayor affirmed that the city will make a sizable contribution to raising two-way trade between the two countries to US$1 billion as well as Finland’s investment in Vietnam to US$1 billion in the next few years. He suggested the Finnish Government and people continue to support the 5,000-strong Vietnamese community in Finland , including many from Ho Chi Minh City .

Finland opened a Consulate General and a representative office of the Finnish Trade Promotion Agency (Finpro) in Ho Chi Minh City in May this year to facilitate Finnish business operations in Vietnam . According to a recent survey by the Finland Business Association, Vietnam is the second market in Asia, after China, which has won the interest of Finnish enterprises.

On the afternoon of November 17, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen left Ho Chi Minh City , concluding an official three-day visit to Vietnam. (VNA)