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The Vietnam News

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Switzerland helps Vietnam promote exports

HANOI - A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the promotion and development of Vietnam's exports through special export promotion programmes was signed in Hanoi on April 11. Signatories were Markus Stern, Director General of the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) and Ngo Van Thoan, Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Commission of the Ministry of Trade.

The MoU affirms the importance of multilateral cooperation in the expansion of trade between Switzerland, other European countries and Vietnam. This will be done through special export promotion programmes with the aim of providing assistance, based on a market oriented economy, to Vietnam's small and medium sized enterprises. Under the MoU, within the next three years, US$ 1.5 million will be spent on programmes and projects on export promotion and development in Vietnam. The two sides have pledged to regularly exchange commercial information, the publications of both institutions and databases regarding foreign trade.

SIPPO will provide market information on the Swiss and European markets to Vietnam as well as inform them of platforms where Vietnamese exporters can meet importers, make direct contacts with selling/buying missions and participate in trade shows. The two sides will co-operate in identifying and selecting suitable import and export programmes and projects and Swiss and Vietnamese importers and exporters for establishing partnership. They will jointly hold training programmes for Vietnamese enterprises and trade promotion organizations.

Vietnam, one of the six developing economies in the stage of transition, has been selected as a priority partner country of SIPPO. The main aim of SIPPO in this respect is to facilitate long-term cooperation between Swiss and Vietnamese enterprises.

Vietnam News Agency - April 13, 2000.