TANAKA Akihiko

JICA President Akihiko Tanaka, left, shakes hands with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung after the talks Dec. 13.

JICA President Akihiko Tanaka held talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Tokyo on Dec. 13. Dung was in Japan for the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN-Japan relations.

Dung started by talking about Japan's Official Development Assistance so far, saying, "Japan is always Viet Nam's largest donor, and the friendship between the two countries is developing in every area. We are grateful that assistance from Japan is being used effectively in Viet Nam. "

After referring to the importance of connectivity among ASEAN nations for the economic development of the region, Tanaka said, "The North-South Expressway, construction of the Noi Bai International Airport's second terminal and the development of Lach Huyen Port, on which JICA is continually extending cooperation, are not just important projects for Viet Nam; I think they are also projects of the utmost importance for the connectivity of the Southeast Asian region as a whole."

In response, Dung said that he personally takes the lead in dealing with important issues that come up in ODA projects to increase the effectiveness of ODA. He said he hopes that ties between Vietnamese government agencies and JICA further advance, and in the future, through ODA, the two countries' relationship strengthens.

Tanaka closed the meeting by saying, "Our cooperative relationship with Viet Nam, on this occasion of the 20th anniversary of the recommencement of Japanese ODA to Viet Nam, has been strengthened in a wide variety of areas. Regarding cooperation agreed on at the top leadership level, we as JICA would like to continue to give our utmost support."