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| President Vo Van Thuong received Mr. Alfred Gerstl, Chairman of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association and Austrian friends. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
Also attending the reception were former President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association, former Austrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Peter Jankowitsch; Honorary Consul General-designate Markus Kircher and a number of other Austrian friends.
At the reception, expressing his pleasure at meeting the President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association, President Vo Van Thuong recalled the long-standing traditional relationship between the two countries. Over the past five decades, the relationship between the two countries has grown in many fields.
The two countries regularly hold high-level and all-level contacts to promote bilateral cooperation. Last year, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with many positive cooperation results, bringing excitement to the people of both countries.
The President was also pleased to announce that economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has developed strongly. Austria is among Vietnam's 10 largest partners in Europe. Bilateral trade last year reached over 2.7 billion USD. Especially after the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement took effect, bilateral trade turnover increased significantly. Since the beginning of the year, many Austrian enterprises have come to Vietnam to explore investment and business opportunities.
"This is a positive signal indicating that Austrian investment in Vietnam will increase in the coming time," said the President.
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| President Vo Van Thuong highly appreciated the important contributions of Austrian friends to create positive highlights in Vietnam-Austria relations. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
To achieve these positive highlights in the bilateral relationship, the President said that the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association has made important contributions to that achievement. The President congratulated Mr. Alfred Gerstl on being elected as President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association, and believed that the Association would continue to promote the achieved results and continue to promote cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
During the meeting, the President also expressed his gratitude to former Foreign Minister and former President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association, Mr. Peter Jankowitsch, for his tireless efforts in promoting bilateral relations over the past many years.
President Vo Van Thuong suggested that in the coming time, the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association need to have more meaningful activities and actively coordinate to contribute to the relationship between the two countries.
The President affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to and facilitates the two Friendship Associations to promote cooperation and organize people-to-people exchange activities, creating an increasingly solid foundation for the relationship between the two countries to develop more strongly. At the same time, the President suggested that Honorary Consul Markus Kircher make proposals and organize many people-to-people exchange activities between the two countries.
Expressing his gratitude to President Vo Van Thuong for taking the time to meet him, the President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association expressed his delight at the strong and sustainable developments in the relationship between the two countries in recent times. Appreciating the President's assessment that Austria is an important partner of Vietnam, the President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association emphasized that Vietnam is also an important partner of Austria and there are currently about 60 Austrian enterprises actively operating in Vietnam.
Recalling his visit to Vietnam in 2008 and last year, the President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association returned to the S-shaped strip of land and was extremely impressed by Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements.
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| President Vo Van Thuong takes a souvenir photo with Austrian friends. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
He said that during his visit, he visited and worked at the Diplomatic Academy; met and discussed with the President of the Vietnam-Austria Friendship Association to promote cooperation in the fields of education and people-to-people exchange.
Attending the reception of the President, former President of the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association and former Austrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Peter Jankowitsch, said that the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association is one of the oldest friendship associations in Austria (1973).
“The Association and I personally always support and have good feelings for Vietnam, organizing many practical activities to strengthen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Austria,” Mr. Peter Jankowitsch emphasized.
Expressing his emotion at the good and sincere feelings that the Austria-Vietnam Friendship Association and Austrian friends have for Vietnam, President Vo Van Thuong affirmed that Vietnam always respects Austrian friends.
Even in the context of Vietnam's struggle for national independence and reunification, Austria was one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Over the past 50 years, Austria has always supported and actively cooperated with Vietnam. With that traditional friendship and good sentiment, the President believes that the relationship between the two countries in the next 50 years will be even closer and stronger.
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