Minister Dang Quoc Khanh received Italian Ambassador Marco Della Seta

During the meeting, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh congratulated the Ambassador on his new assignment in Vietnam and expressed confidence that his extensive diplomatic experience would lead to a successful tenure. He assured that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment would provide the best possible support to the Ambassador in fulfilling his duties and advancing the cooperative relationship between the two countries in the resource and environment sectors.

Ambassador Marco Della Seta praised Vietnam’s position and role, particularly the government’s commitments and actions in environmental protection, climate change adaptation, and energy transition. He confirmed that the Italian government would continue to support Vietnam’s climate commitments by providing €250 million from the Climate Change Mitigation Fund under the JETP framework.

The Ambassador also noted that many Italian agencies and businesses are eager to expand cooperation and investment with Vietnam in areas such as the environment, energy transition, remote sensing, meteorology, forestation, and biodiversity conservation. He mentioned that Italian government agencies are looking to sign MOUs to formalize these cooperative programs.

Minister Dang Quoc Khanh and Ambassador Marco Della Seta hoped for more effective cooperative activities to further deepen the relationship between Vietnam and Italy, especially in the field of resources and environment

Minister Dang Quoc Khanh acknowledged the support Italy has provided over the years in various fields, including meteorology, water resources, remote sensing, and climate change. On this occasion, he conveyed his appreciation to the Italian government through the Ambassador for their valuable support and cooperation.

Agreeing with the Ambassador’s proposals, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh highlighted that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment manages nine areas, many of which could benefit from sustainable cooperation with Italy. These include marine and island management, climate change, environmental protection, water resources, remote sensing, and meteorology. He emphasized the need for the Ambassador’s role in bridging efforts to enhance cooperation in both traditional and newly proposed areas, aiming for a more comprehensive and profound relationship between Vietnam and Italy in the resource and environment sectors.

Regarding specific work groups, the Minister expressed a desire for the Ambassador and the Italian government to advocate for international partners to support Vietnam in mobilizing resources for JETP; provide stable and clear financial resources and a funding roadmap for Vietnam; and offer expertise and technology to enhance capabilities, including management skills, to meet global emission reduction commitments and climate adaptation initiatives, particularly the commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Minister Dang Quoc Khanh and Italian Ambassador Marco Della Seta took a commemorative photo

Vietnam also seeks support for experiences and solutions related to the circular economy, reducing plastic waste, and environmental protection; collaboration to enhance capacity, technology transfer, and support for modernizing the meteorological sector through grant-funded ODA projects.

Minister Dang Quoc Khanh and Ambassador Marco Della Seta hope for more effective cooperative activities to deepen the relationship between Vietnam and Italy, especially in the field of resources and environment.

The Minister also requested the Ambassador to promote cooperation between the Ministry and Italian partner agencies to access and utilize Italian and European (ESA) satellite remote sensing data for monitoring resources, environment, and climate change; and to explore the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in extracting geographical information from remote sensing data.

Furthermore, they discussed enhancing cooperation, sharing, and exchanging experiences in water resources management, particularly in developing and operating national water resource databases; and restoring degraded, polluted, and depleted water sources.

In addition to support for resources and technology, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh expressed a desire for Italy to collaborate with research institutions under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to provide Vietnamese scientists with opportunities to access scientific advancements from Italy and Europe. This would enable the application and research of scientific products suitable for local conditions.

Through this meeting, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh and Ambassador Marco Della Seta look forward to more effective cooperative activities that will further deepen the relationship between Vietnam and Italy, particularly in the fields of resources and environment.

Ngoc Huyen (NRE Newspaper)