Vietnam and EFTA to Sign Free Trade Deal in Hanoi on Sunday, Officials Say
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Vietnam are set to sign a free trade deal on Sunday, officials said this week, according to Reuters, after long-stalled talks were relaunched last year amid global tensions over US tariffs. Vietnam concluded negotiations with the EFTA bloc, which includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, in July, after years of talks first launched in 2012. The deal will be signed in Hanoi on Sunday in the presence of Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin, a spokesperson for his ministry said on Wednesday. Parmelin, who also holds Switzerland's rotating presidency, is currently on a visit to Asia. Two officials in Hanoi confirmed that the signing would occur on Sunday.
In July, the EFTA said the accord would cover rules of origin, investment, intellectual property rights and competition, trade remedies and government procurement. Officials in Hanoi had earlier said the deal would be signed in October, with the precise date determined by the leaders' agendas.
Reuters noted that in September, Vietnam said it detained three activists on suspicion of terrorism — including a Norwegian national — which did not affect the previously planned signing; human rights groups said the people had been abducted in Cambodia. Norway's foreign ministry said it had asked Vietnam to grant consular access.
Norway's foreign ministry said State Secretary Astrid Bergmål, who will attend the signing ceremony, will raise the case of a detained Norwegian citizen with Vietnamese authorities during her visit, calling it a high priority.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 河内天际线。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，NKSTTSSHNVN 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
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