Brussels, 29/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the ASEM foreign ministers meeting in Hamburg on 28 May, External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem said that negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement would shortly be opened. On 14 May, the Council decided to include Vietnam in the existing negotiating directives for Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with six other countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Brunei. Dialogue between the EU and Vietnam “has been expanded in the last few years to cover a number of strategic issues such as transnational crimes, migration and environmental concerns,” said Ms Ferrero-Waldner in a press release. She went on: “We see considerable scope for reinforcing our co-operation in other areas, such as higher education and research and technological development”. Bilateral trade between the EU and Vietnam increased by 18% to €8.75 billion in 2006 and both parties are set to benefit further from a future EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the decision to launch negotiations on which was taken at the start of May (see EUROPE 9420). (ab)