Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam: Expecting Vietnam's active participation at WEF Davos 2024

(Chinhphu.vn) - The 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) will provide Vietnam with an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to specific solutions and seek investment and resources from companies, business groups, and international investment funds, including Switzerland.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to Vietnam Thomas Gass - Photo: VGP/Quang Thuong

Speaking to the Government E-newspaper, Mr. Thomas Gass, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to Vietnam, said that it is meaningful that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will actively participate in the WEF Davos Conference in 2024. The Ambassador was impressed with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's speech at the 14th Annual Meeting of New Leaders of the WEF taking place from June 27-29, 2023 in Tianjin, China. Accordingly, the Prime Minister mentioned that, in the face of "headwinds", the international community needs "global solidarity and multilateralism as well as a people-centered approach". "Vietnamese leaders can be completely confident in speaking at the WEF Davos Conference 2024 this time because Vietnam has made significant contributions to solving many global issues and deserves to be recognized by the international community for those efforts", Mr. Thomas Gass shared. According to the Ambassador, as an active member of ASEAN, Vietnam has played an important role in promoting regional stability and cooperation. Vietnam has also participated in peacekeeping operations around the world, including in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Vietnam has also taken some important steps to reduce carbon emissions, with a commitment to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Vietnam is working to increase its resilience to climate change, through the implementation of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan and implementing measures to protect vulnerable communities. In addition, Vietnam is also working to improve energy security by investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Therefore, this year's forum will provide Vietnam with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to concrete solutions and win the support of the investor community for its efforts, Mr. Thomas Gass emphasized. Sharing about the significance of the WEF Davos 2024, the Ambassador said that this conference is an important forum. With the theme "Rebuilding Trust", WEF 2024 demonstrates a commitment to identifying and overcoming difficulties related to trust in many different areas, such as economics, politics and society. The international community and the world economy have faced many fluctuations in recent years: Violence in the Middle East, conflict in Ukraine, some countries' lack of respect for international law and International Humanitarian Law. In addition, countries are also facing profound structural changes that are taking place in geo-economics (such as the cost of living crisis, food and energy insecurity, instability, etc.), in climate change, etc. The WEF is a place where leaders of countries and governments, leaders of the private sector, representatives of education and civil society come together to reflect and seek solutions, take responsibility for implementing shared visions, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement, and encourage pioneers and leaders to take positive initiatives. "We urgently need to recommit to multilateralism and the international rule of law. Accordingly, we need to establish and upgrade new platforms for dialogue and building stronger partnerships," the Swiss Ambassador emphasized. To solve complex problems, countries cannot rely on governments alone, because any effective solution requires large investments, and solutions can only be implemented effectively with the active participation of the private sector. Therefore, sustainable solutions need to take into account the feasibility and profitability of businesses, as well as the functioning of the global economy, Mr. Thomas Gass recommended.

Vietnam's increasingly important role in and outside the region

Assessing Vietnam's efforts in WEF initiatives and activities, the Ambassador said that East Asia is currently the main driving force of the global economy and plays an increasingly important role in shaping solutions to a range of global challenges. Vietnam's role is increasingly important, not only within the region but also beyond the region. In this context, with the goal of becoming a high-income and low-carbon country within 20 years, it is even more important for Vietnam to be ready to maintain dialogue and share with the international community its approaches, perspectives and experiences in global integration and socio-economic development. In September 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF, also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Vietnam and WEF for the 2023-2026 period. According to Mr. Thomas Gass, with the signing of the above-mentioned memorandum of understanding, Vietnam has the prospect of accessing international resources and expertise, as well as participating in WEF's global programs. In the coming time, the Vietnamese economy needs a strong will and high determination to maintain its commitment to sustainable development, continue to promote administrative procedures in a faster and more transparent direction, improve substantive education and human resource development, promote the digital economy as well as other measures, the Ambassador recommended. "I clearly see that the Vietnamese authorities are making efforts to address these challenges, as evidenced by the increasing flow of foreign direct investment (FDI). It should be noted that competition in attracting FDI on a global scale is fierce, so Vietnam needs to make efforts to improve conditions to maintain its advantage over its competitors," Mr. Thomas Gass shared. The Vietnamese government is addressing the problem by integrating the development goals of eco-industrial parks. In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is also coordinating with the WEF to establish a center for the 4th industrial revolution in the city, to address key issues such as circular economy and digitalization.

The deep and warm traditional relationship between Vietnam and Switzerland

Referring to the achievements in the Vietnam-Switzerland bilateral relationship in recent times, the Ambassador said,   The two countries have a traditional, warm and increasingly deep relationship. Switzerland was one of the first Western countries to officially recognize the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) in 1971. Bilateral relations have developed very dynamically, with the focus gradually shifting from economic development cooperation to trade, especially between the now strongly developing private sector. Switzerland welcomes the positive progress in the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Vietnam. When it comes into force, the agreement will create a favorable framework, paving the way for increased Swiss direct investment in Vietnam as well as promoting bilateral trade. "Vietnam's foreign policy and economic environment are very dynamic. Many countries are looking forward to upgrading their partnership with Vietnam and I especially hope that the relationship between Vietnam and Switzerland will be upgraded in the coming time. I am currently devoting all my heart and effort to this issue," said Mr. Thomas Gass. According to the Ambassador, Switzerland's main exports to Vietnam include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery and precision engineering, while Vietnam's main exports to Switzerland are electronic products, such as mobile phones, footwear, textiles and seafood. Since 2008, economic development cooperation between Switzerland and Vietnam has focused on areas such as improving public finance, enhancing the capacity of the financial sector, enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, urban planning and climate change adaptation, as well as projects promoting sustainable growth. In the field of academic cooperation, the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) and the Swiss National Science Foundation have a close cooperative relationship through supporting joint research projects between Switzerland and Vietnam. The two sides have just officially announced the second round of receiving applications for bilateral funding programs for researchers of both countries in all different scientific fields, with a total funding of 4 million CHF (over 115 billion VND) for Switzerland and 25 billion VND for Vietnam. Many high-ranking delegations of Swiss leaders have visited Vietnam in recent years. Most recently, in June 2023, President of the Swiss Federal Parliament Martin Candinas paid an official visit to Vietnam, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue accepted an invitation to visit Switzerland in 2024. Therefore, the WEF is an opportunity for high-level meetings between the two governments and the interest of both sides is demonstrated through regular meetings between the two countries' leaders on the sidelines of the forum in recent years, the Ambassador shared.

Thuy Dung - Chinhphu.vn

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