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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and delegates congratulated at the ceremony to celebrate the 78th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic relations. (Source: VNA) |
Within the framework of the visit, on the evening of the same day, at the King David Tower Convention Center, Tel Aviv city, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and the delegation attended the ceremony to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Israel.
Also attending the ceremony were officials and staff of Vietnamese representative agencies and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Israel.
On the Israeli side, there were the participation of Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Ofir Akunis; representatives of the Office of the President, Prime Minister, Parliament and ministries of Israel; representatives of the Israel-Vietnam Friendship Association, businesses and close friends of Vietnam.
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| Ambassador Ly Duc Trung delivered a welcome speech at the ceremony to celebrate the 78th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic relations. (Source: VNA) |
Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung said that since the official establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1993, the friendly cooperation between Vietnam and Israel has continuously developed deeply and extensively in all fields.
Leaders of the two countries have had many visits and worked together to build frameworks to facilitate the development of bilateral relations in fields from politics, economics, trade, investment, smart agriculture, to high technology.
Israel is supporting Vietnam in training human resources in science and technology, implementing agricultural trainee programs; sending technical medical experts to different localities of Vietnam to share experience and knowledge in applying working methods and using advanced, modern equipment.
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| Mr. Ofir Akunis, Minister of Science and Technology Innovation of Israel attended and spoke at the ceremony to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic relations. (Source: VNA) |
Assessing the bilateral relationship as continuously developing and now stronger than ever, Minister of Science and Technology Innovation Ofir Akunis said that Vietnam and Israel are cooperating closely in many fields, especially agriculture and health, and there are many diverse activities in cooperation in education, innovation and startups. Many Vietnamese students are studying in Israel.
After the two sides signed the bilateral Free Trade Agreement, Israel hopes that the agreement will be quickly approved and promulgated to put into practice in an optimal way, for the benefit of the two economies, especially when there is a direct air route opened for tourists and goods to travel between the two countries.
Minister Akunis affirmed: “As Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, I am committed to promoting joint projects on innovative research, startup ecosystems and technology transfer… towards new goals to expand and deepen the partnership between the two countries”.
At the ceremony, delegates also enjoyed performances by Vietnamese and Israeli artists, visited the area displaying Vietnamese trade and tourism promotion products, and visited the Vinfast electric car display area.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang delivered a speech to encourage officials and staff of the Vietnamese Representative Office in Israel. (Source: VNA) |
Before that, the delegation visited the Vietnamese Embassy and met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Israel.
Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Ly Duc Trung welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and the delegation to visit and work in Israel; briefly reported on the basic situation of the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in Israel; and the work of the Embassy in protecting citizens and taking care of compatriots abroad.
The Vietnamese community in Israel currently has about 500 people, and each year there are about 100-200 trainees coming to study for a short-term course of 11 months.
The people are united, wholeheartedly turning towards their homeland and country. The trainees are intelligent, hard-working, comply with school regulations and local laws, and are highly appreciated for their sense of responsibility in work and study.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Israel. (Source: VNA) |
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang informed about the achievements in socio-economic development in the country; major policies of the Party and State in foreign affairs and work with the Vietnamese community abroad.
Visiting and encouraging the overseas Vietnamese community and students living, studying and working in Israel, the Deputy Prime Minister said that Vietnam's position in the international arena is increasingly improving, with great contributions from the overseas Vietnamese community.
Vietnam is among the countries that have overcome the Covid-19 pandemic most successfully. That proves that in the most difficult times, Vietnamese people always unite to achieve success. This could be a common point between Vietnam and Israel, besides the common points such as both countries love peace, people are hard-working, diligent, and strive to improve in life.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said that the domestic economy in 2022 grew very well; despite difficulties in the first 6 months of the year, it also grew steadily again.
Vietnam's GDP is currently around 410 billion USD, ranking 5th in the region and 37th in the world, with an increasingly rising economic ranking. Import-export turnover is currently 1.8 times larger than GDP, showing that Vietnam has very open economic and trade relations with other countries.
Foreign investment in Vietnam is expected to reach about 27 billion USD in 2022, and over 13 billion USD in the first 6 months of the year.
During this visit, Vietnam and Israel will sign a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). This is the 16th FTA that Vietnam has signed with other countries and the first FTA that Vietnam has signed with a Middle Eastern country.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang takes a souvenir photo with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Israel. (Source: VNA) |
Representatives of the Vietnamese community in Israel shared about the lives of their people in the locality, and recommended that the State and Government create favorable conditions in terms of policies and procedures for overseas Vietnamese businesses to invest in their homeland and join hands in building the country; create conditions for sending Vietnamese workers to work in Israel; and support trainees who wish and are qualified to receive scholarships from Israeli universities and research institutes to advance to higher levels.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visits the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv. (Source: VNA) |
On the same day, in Tel Aviv, the delegation visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, which recreates the life and career of the late Israeli President Shimon Peres, and visited spaces displaying innovation achievements and some successful Israeli startup models.
The Peres Center is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded by the late President Shimon Peres in 1996. The center's purpose is to further the Israeli leader's vision of people in the Middle East working together to build peace through cooperation and socio-economic development, as well as promoting people-to-people exchanges.
Vietnam and Israel officially established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1993. Over the past 30 years, the relationship between the two countries has experienced important milestones. In 1993, Israel opened an embassy in Hanoi; in 2009, Vietnam opened an embassy in Tel Aviv. Politically, the exchange of delegations at all levels between the two sides has been vibrant and active since 1996. Vietnam has welcomed many Israeli leaders, including visits by Presidents Shimon Peres (2011) and Reuven Rivlin (2017). On the Vietnamese side, Party and Government leaders have also made many visits to Israel. The two sides have signed many agreements and cooperation arrangements in various fields, including the Framework Agreement on Economic, Scientific, Technical, Agricultural and Trade Cooperation (1996), the Financial Cooperation Protocol between Israel and Vietnam (2007), the Visa Exemption Agreement for Diplomatic Passport Holders (2009), the Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion on Income and Property Taxes, the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries of Science and Technology on Cooperation in Scientific and Technological Research (2009), the Protocol on Establishment of the Intergovernmental Committee (2013), the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs (2015), and the Air Transport Agreement (2020). The Vietnam-Israel Intergovernmental Committee held two meetings in 2014 and 2017. The third meeting is expected to be held this year. Political consultations between the two countries have also restarted in 2022 after a 10-year hiatus. |
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