Vietnam and Switzerland should create more favorable conditions for the two countries’ businesses to promote cooperation in investment, trade and market expansion.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement at a reception for outgoing Switzerland Ambassador to Vietnam , Jean-Hubert Lebet, in Hanoi on June 27.

PM Dung said that bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland has developed but still failed to match the two countries’ political relations and potentials.

He spoke highly of Ambassador Jean-Huber Lebet’s role in raising the two countries’ relations to a new height in a practical and effective manner during his term of office in Vietnam , saying he hoped that whatever position he holds in the future Lebet would continue his contributions to promoting relations between the two countries.

Vietnamese government would create favourable conditions for the new ambassador to fulfill assigned tasks and to promote bilateral cooperation, Dung added.

Ambassador Lebet affirmed that in any position, he would make continued contributions to developing fine relations between the two countries.

Lebet added that the two countries would host a major event in mid-October this year to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of education and training, including seminars between the two countries’ universities.

At present, Switzerland is Vietnam’s second largest trade partner in Europe, with bilateral trade reaching over 2.6 billion USD./.