Deepening and further strengthening the Vietnam-Ireland relationship

The upcoming State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Ireland marks the increasingly deepening relationship between the two countries, said the Irish Ambassador to Vietnam.

Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Deirdre Ní Fhallúin. (Source: Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam)

At the invitation of Irish President Michael D. Higgins, General Secretary and President To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay a State visit to Ireland. On this occasion, Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Deirdre Ní Fhallúin gave an interview to a reporter from the Vietnam News Agency about the relationship between the two countries and other issues related to the visit of General Secretary and President To Lam. - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam will pay a State visit to the Republic of Ireland. Could you please tell us about the significance of this important visit to the relationship between the two countries? Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin: Since the Irish Embassy opened in Vietnam in 2005, the relationship between the two countries has become closely linked and has been strengthened by many development cooperation programs. We focus on supporting ethnic minority communities in Vietnam; As for humanitarian assistance activities related to UXO, we work with partners to clean up land contaminated with UXO, raise awareness of UXO in schools and support UXO victims. Vietnam has continued to record impressive growth in recent years. Both countries have strengthened bilateral cooperation in agriculture, food and higher education, focusing on technical assistance, capacity building and establishing joint institutions. President Michael D. Higgins paid a State visit to Vietnam in 2016. This visit is remembered in both countries, so we are very pleased to welcome the upcoming State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Ireland, marking the increasingly deep relationship between our two countries. - After nearly 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has achieved many positive results. Ambassador, could you please share more about the highlights of the cooperation between the two countries in recent times as well as the prospects for development in the coming time? Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin: We are very proud of our long-term development cooperation program with Vietnam, especially the programs supporting ethnic minority groups, humanitarian assistance related to landmines, as well as nutrition and maternal health programs and efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change. Recently, we provided humanitarian aid of 250,000 euros to Vietnam to overcome the consequences of Typhoon Yagi (Typhoon No. 3) which caused damage in the provinces and cities of northern Vietnam. This aid, through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has been providing emergency clean water and sanitation supplies to affected families.

Irish Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin and UNICEF Representative Silvia Danailov sign a Memorandum of Understanding for Ireland's Emergency Response Funding Programme in response to Typhoon Yagi, September 18. (Source: UNICEF)

I am delighted to see the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Vietnam develop over the years since we opened our Embassy in Vietnam. We look forward to further cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as education and agricultural products, as well as expanding our trade relationship. The relationship between Ireland and Vietnam will continue to grow and develop in a positive direction. The State visit of President Michael D. Higgins to Vietnam almost a decade ago was a significant milestone in our bilateral relationship. The upcoming visit of General Secretary and President To Lam will mark another important step forward and I am delighted that this visit is taking place. As Ambassador of Ireland to Vietnam, I will work to deepen and strengthen our relationship. - Vietnam is accelerating digital transformation, green transformation and the development of a creative and circular economy. These are also strengths of Ireland. Ambassador, how does Ireland plan to cooperate and support Vietnam in these areas? Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin: In the second half of the last century, Ireland has witnessed tremendous development and rapid economic growth. Our country is known as the “Silicon Valley of Europe” and is known worldwide as a hub for pharmaceuticals and technology (Ireland is home to the headquarters of world-leading technology companies such as Google, Meta) and high-quality education. From our development journey, we understand how important education is to the development of the country. We have supported Vietnamese students to study full master's programs through the Irish Government's scholarship program, the "Ireland Fellows Programme." We hope that Vietnamese students will become long-term bridges between the two countries after returning home. The Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam is strengthening our collaboration with universities and research institutes in both countries to share experiences and build capacity in priority areas such as agriculture and food. The Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership (IVAP) is a prime example of our strong collaboration in this area. As a small island state, Ireland also faces the growing and urgent challenge of Climate Change. Our two countries need to work together to address this challenge. We are helping rural areas in Vietnam to improve their resilience to Climate Change as well as expanding university collaboration and research in the areas of Climate Change and Sustainability. - Thank you very much, Ambassador!./.

Vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lam-sau-sac-va-cung-co-hon-nua-moi-quan-he-viet-nam-va-ireland-post980154.vnp