Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the affirmation while receiving the Minister for Trade of the RoK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bark Tae-ho in Hanoi on August 6.

The PM spoke highly of the outcome of the talks between Bark and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, especially the launch of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which he said is an important contribution to the strategic partnership between the two countries.

He suggested the two countries soon complete FTA negotiations to foster bilateral ties, particularly in economics, trade and investment.

He urged the RoK ministry to continue creating conditions for Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, to penetrate the Korean market, as well as encouraging RoK retailers to put Vietnamese goods on sale at their chains.

Bark highly valued Vietnam ’s achievements in the context of a complicated world economy, especially in curbing inflation and stabilising the macro economy.

Expressing pleasure at the start of RoK-Vietnam FTA negotiations, he said that during his visit, the two sides have agreed on a number of measures to increase two-way trade and ensure trade balance.

The completion of FTA negotiations will help fulfill the goal of bringing two-way trade between the RoK and Vietnam to 25 billion USD in 2015, he added./.