Seoul (VNA) – Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have agreed to broaden bilateral cooperation in environmental protection which has concerned both governments.

The agreement was reached at the sixth Vietnam-RoK environment ministers’ conference held in Seoul on June 20, where the two countries underscored the importance of increased bilateral environmental cooperation to sustainable development.

Accordingly, the cope of the two countries’ future environmental cooperation will cover the sharing of experiences and information and the transfer of technology related to the protection and treatment of environmental pollution.

The two delegations to the conference also pledged to join efforts at international, regional and sub-regional environment-related forums, exchange viewpoints and consult each other on environment-related issues of mutual concern.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen, apart from attending the conference, held talks with his RoK counterpart, Lee Maan-ee, affirming that environmental cooperation has been boosted along with the two countries’ mainstream cooperation.

The Vietnamese minister admitted that industrialisation has imposed great challenges to the country’s environment, requiring the undertaking of strategic renewals and breakthroughs and international cooperation.

He said the environment is one of the potential fields to be tapped by both countries, expressing hope for learning from RoK’s experiences in industrialisation.

Since 2004, the Vietnamese and RoK environment ministries have coordinated with related ministries and agencies to carry out many cooperative projects related to the environment.

Apart from signing a number of agreements, the two sides have initiated some big projects, including the project to build an environmental training centre in Vietnam with RoK’s ODA, the project to set up an air environment observing system, and the project to develop an E-manifest system to manage electronic wastes in Vietnam.