Hanoi--11 August 2014: ERIA paid courtesy calls to top Vietnamese leaders exchanging views on Vietnam's role in the ASEAN Community and beyond.

ERIA Executive Director, Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, called on Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to discuss the economic issues affecting the East Asia region as well as Vietnam's future economic direction.

President Sang expressed appreciation for the role played by ERIA in promoting capacity-building among the Vietnamese officials engaging with regional economic integration and planning.

Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995 and has been a driving force in bridging development gap between the old and new members.

Earlier, Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura also held meetings with senior Vietnamese officials including H.E. Bui Quang Vinh, Minister of Planning and Investment and H.E. Nguyen Cam Tu, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. They discussed ways to promote dialogue and information exchanges between the Vietnamese and ERIA economists.

H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary General of ASEAN and H.E. Nguyen Cam Tu also attended the session with Sang. "It is a good opportunity to report to the President of Vietnam about ERIA progress and how our organization can help the economic integration of new members of Asean," commented prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura.

ERIA is organizing a one-day symposium on 12 August titled: Upgrading Vietnam's Position towards AEC 2015 and Beyond. This capacity building event will be attended by Vietnamese experts and officials.

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Press Release - ERIA Calls on Vietnamese Leaders