In its initial day, the delegations “spent time discussing a comprehensive approach, addressing issues of mutual interest and accelerating the negotiation process”, highlighted here today the website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, whose head, Nguyen Hong Dien, leads the Vietnamese representation.

The two sides also discussed “openly, frankly and constructively” on issues of mutual interest, in order to clarify the content of the text of the agreement and provide information on current policies to establish a basis for implementing future work, the source said.

According to the ministerial website, Hong Dien himself worked with Westinghouse Corporation, one of the world’s leading companies in nuclear power technology, on Monday.

At the meeting, the minister informed that Vietnam has a policy to restart the nuclear power program and ensure energy security, in the context of high electricity demand and unstable renewable energy.

Vietnam will address the issue in a cautious, modern and practical way, Hong Diem said, explaining that the country currently has many potential sites to develop atomic energy.

This, he said, is the basis for promoting cooperation with international partners such as Westinghouse, including large- and small-scale nuclear power projects (SMR).

In Hong Diem’s view, energy development cooperation can also be an important driving force in helping to balance the bilateral trade balance.

abo/lam/mpm