Vietnamese Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany Vu Quang Minh. (Photo: Manh Hung/VNA correspondent in Germany)
Reporter: Ambassador , how do you assess the recent developments in the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany, especially since the official visit to Vietnam by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November 2022? Ambassador Vu Quang Minh: In recent years, the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany has continued to deepen in many areas, especially since the official visit to Vietnam by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November 2022. Political trust has continued to be strengthened through many high-level and all-level contacts. Germany remains Vietnam's largest trading partner in the European Union (EU) and Vietnam has become Germany's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade turnover for the whole year of 2023 will reach over 11 billion USD according to Vietnam's data and 17.12 billion USD according to the German Federal Statistical Office - Destatis (as of the end of November 2023). As of December 31, 2023, there were 464 German foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam still in effect with a total registered capital of 2.74 billion USD, of which in 2023 alone there were 33 new investment projects with a total capital of 340 million USD. From the Vietnamese side, we have 37 investment projects in Germany still in effect, with a total registered capital of 283.3 million USD. These are impressive numbers in the context of the whole world facing many difficulties in economic and trade development in the past few years due to the consequences of the pandemic and conflicts.
The two sides have made many new steps to continue to strongly enhance trust in the strategic partnership between the two countries.
It is particularly noteworthy that the two sides have made many new steps to continue to strongly strengthen trust in the strategic partnership between the two countries, including the successful implementation of action plans to implement the strategic partnership in each period and recently the signing of the Action Plan to implement the Strategic Partnership for the period 2023-2025, the signing and implementation of a number of new cooperation frameworks such as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation, ... as well as actively exchanging delegations at all levels. In the past time, we have closely coordinated to prepare for the state visit - the highest level and form of official visit between countries - of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Vietnam. In 2023 alone, there were more than 40 delegations at the level of Deputy Ministers/Deputy Chairmen/Vice Chairmen of the People's Committee of Vietnam visiting and working in Germany, a very high increase after a long interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From the German side, the years 2022-2023 also witnessed a sharp increase in the number of visits to Vietnam by many German state and business leaders, most recently the delegation of the Prime Minister of the states of Niedersachsen and Thuringia with a record number of accompanying businesses, up to 50-70 businesses per delegation. It can be seen that the rich, diverse, effective and proactive cooperation between localities of Vietnam and Germany continues to be a bright spot in the relationship between the two countries. The frameworks for implementing economic diplomacy have also continued to be strengthened and expanded with many important steps forward. The two countries have successfully concluded the annual government negotiations on official development assistance (ODA), through which Germany committed to providing non-refundable aid of 61 million euros to Vietnam for the period 2024-2025, a very encouraging result in the context of the German economy facing many difficulties and the German state budget being tightened. The two sides also held the Second Session of the Joint Committee on Bilateral Economic Cooperation. Many Vietnamese enterprises resumed their participation in promotion activities and specialized fairs in Germany. The two sides continued to remove difficulties to promote the implementation of German "lighthouse" projects in Vietnam. An important area in which the two sides have had many remarkable cooperation achievements is green development, energy transition and climate change response, as Germany continues to provide active support for Vietnam to implement its commitments within the framework of the Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and businesses of the two countries proactively seize cooperation opportunities in this area. We are also very pleased to witness many important results in the fields of cultural diplomacy, foreign affairs and people-to-people exchange with many activities held in both countries, especially activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the twinning between Wernigerode and Hoi An; The official ceremony of laying the foundation stone to mark the sisterhood relationship between Leipzig and Ho Chi Minh City; activities to promote Vietnam in general and the culture and art of Vietnamese artists in Germany in particular; activities to promote Vietnamese elephants through the Vietnamese community sponsoring the Ambassador and his wife to sponsor a baby elephant of Vietnamese origin; the inauguration of the wildlife conservation and rescue area at Leipzig Zoo - which has been supporting Vietnam in this field for two decades. On December 19, 2023, Leipzig Zoo and Cuc Phuong National Park solemnly celebrated the 30th anniversary of the endangered primate rescue project, marking 20 years since Leipzig began cooperating to help Cuc Phuong and a decade since Leipzig Zoo became the main sponsor of the project. The friendly match between the Vietnamese women's football team and the German women's football team and some German clubs, the Vietnamese delegation attending the Special Olympic Games in Berlin, and the visit and exchange of the Dortmund football team in Vietnam also attracted great attention from the Vietnamese people as well as the Vietnamese community and German friends. We are very pleased to see that our community in Germany has grown stronger and more united in recent times, successfully integrating, turning towards our first homeland while making efforts to contribute to the prosperity of our second homeland. At the end of 2023, the Congress to establish the Union of Vietnamese Associations in the Federal Republic of Germany was successfully held. We believe that the union will be a true representative organization for the entire Vietnamese community in the Federal Republic of Germany, playing an increasingly important role in the local political and social life, protecting the legitimate interests of the Vietnamese community, and at the same time being an organization that connects and unites all individuals, organizations and associations of the Vietnamese people, acting as a bridge to further promote the cooperative, friendly and close relationship between the people of the two countries, achieving the noble goals stated in the union's Charter.
Reporter: With such remarkable developments, how does the Ambassador assess the significance and importance of the State visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Vietnam? Ambassador Vu Quang Minh: This extremely important visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife takes place in the context of the bilateral relationship continuing to deepen and having substantial developments in many areas. Even more meaningful is that this is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's first foreign visit in 2024 and also the first high-level delegation exchange between the two countries in the new year 2024 - a pivotal year towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025. This is also the second visit of a German President to Vietnam in the history of relations between the two countries since the reunification of Germany. 17 years ago, German Federal President Horst Kohler visited Vietnam in May 2007. Interestingly, this is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's third visit to Vietnam in his positions as President, Vice Chancellor (October 2016) and German Foreign Minister (March 2008). During this visit, President Steinmeier will have the opportunity to witness firsthand the German “lighthouse” projects in Vietnam, which were signed during his visit to Vietnam in 2008 as German Foreign Minister, and are gradually coming to fruition. I have had several direct contacts with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, including the occasion to attend the topping-out ceremony of the Deutsches Haus in November 2016 with him as German Foreign Minister as well as the recent Credentials Presentation Ceremony and receptions, and have felt the good and sincere feelings he always has for Vietnam. On January 11, 2024, speaking at the New Year's reception of the Diplomatic Corps, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially announced that he would visit Vietnam and Thailand and expressed that he and his wife were looking forward to this visit when I came to greet him. With Vietnamese tradition, it is hoped that welcoming distinguished guests from afar at the beginning of the new year and right before the Lunar New Year 2024 will bring many favorable things and create new momentum for the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Germany in the coming time.
Reporter: What are the highlights of this visit, Ambassador? Ambassador Vu Quang Minh: According to the program, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will meet with the top leaders of Vietnam to discuss measures to further promote bilateral cooperation in many fields as well as issues of mutual concern in the international arena. A key content of the visit is economic and trade cooperation when accompanying President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a large German business delegation operating in many different industries. Vietnam has become a leading attractive destination for German businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations implementing risk reduction strategies in global investment and business. Renewable energy, green transition and sustainable development, manufacturing, services, logistics, education, etc. are the cooperation priorities of both sides. It is expected that there will be a dialogue between the business delegation accompanying the President and German businesses and German business organizations doing business in Vietnam.
Vietnam has become a top attractive destination for German businesses.
One area that both sides are currently very interested in is cooperation in vocational training and sending skilled Vietnamese workers to work in Germany in the context of Germany's serious shortage of this labor force. Therefore, the German Minister of Labor and Social Affairs is the only Federal Cabinet minister accompanying the President, along with a number of parliamentarians who are also State Secretaries of ministries. It is expected that the Vietnamese Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the German Minister of Labor and Social Affairs will sign a Letter of Intent on labor cooperation between the two countries during this visit. This is the first time since Germany's reunification that we have had a cooperation document signed in the traditional field of labor migration. In addition, the President and his delegation will visit and survey some of Germany's "lighthouse" projects in Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding area in recent times, such as the German House, the Vietnam-Germany University or Metro Line 2. Equally important, the visit will include a number of special cultural and people-to-people diplomacy activities. Notably, accompanying President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Vietnam this time are a number of outstanding representatives of the successful Vietnamese community in Germany, a very new point with the visit of a high-ranking German leader to Vietnam, demonstrating the appreciation and respect for the Vietnamese community in the Federal Republic of Germany, a community that has made many important contributions to the cultural diversity and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Germany, and is also a bridge for bilateral relations in general and the friendship and close ties between the people of the two countries in particular.
Reporter: Thank you very much, Ambassador! VNA - Nhandan.vn
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