Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are set to sign a free trade agreement in Hanoi on Sunday, following the conclusion of negotiations in July after years of talks, officials said.
The agreement comes amid global trade tensions over United States tariffs, which helped revive discussions that began in 2012.
EFTA comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
A spokesperson for Switzerland’s economy ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the deal would be signed in the presence of Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin, who is also the country’s rotating president and is currently visiting Asia.
Two officials in Hanoi also confirmed the planned signing.
According to EFTA, the agreement will cover rules of origin, investment, intellectual property rights, competition, trade remedies and government procurement.
Vietnamese officials had earlier indicated that the deal would be signed in October, with the exact date depending on the schedules of the leaders involved.
However, the planned signing comes amid concerns over the detention of three activists in Vietnam, including Norwegian citizen Nguyen Duc Thuan, on suspicion of terrorism.
Vietnamese authorities said the three men, Thuan, Australian citizen Ho Pham Hiep Huy and Vietnamese national Thai Cong Truong Son were arrested on September 18 while allegedly attempting to cross illegally from Cambodia into Vietnam.
The Ministry of Public Security said the men belonged to Viet Tan, a United States-based pro-democracy group designated as a terrorist organisation by Vietnam’s Communist government.
Viet Tan said the activists had been abducted in Cambodia, while Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said its authorities had neither arrested the men nor recorded their departure from the country.
On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch called for the immediate release of the three activists, describing them as people who had “gone missing in Cambodia”.
Earlier in October, dozens of international human rights organisations also condemned what they described as the abduction of the activists in Cambodia and their subsequent detention in Vietnam.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry said it had asked Vietnam to grant consular access to Thuan but did not respond to a question on whether his detention could affect the trade agreement.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite the diplomatic concerns, the planned signing remains scheduled for Sunday.
