Ambassador positive on increasingly close ties with Austria
VOV.VN - Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien has expressed his elation at seeing relations between the two countries consolidated and developed, despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon addressing a recent ceremony held to mark the nation’s 76th National Day, Ambassador Kien, who is also permanent representative of Vietnam to international organisation in Vienna, affirmed that this year will mark many important events in bilateral diplomatic ties. This includes 150 years since Austria's appointment of an Honorary Consul in Vietnam and 30 years since Vietnam established its embassy in Austria.
The nation therefore looks forward to stronger co-operation with Austria in the near future, especially with the two countries are preparing for the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties which originally took place in 1972, he said.
Vietnam continues to be an active member of international and regional co-operation mechanisms such as the UN, and ASEAN, whilst consistently playing an active role in multilateral diplomatic activities with specialised agencies of the UN in Vienna, the Vietnamese diplomat said.
Ambassador Enno Drofenik, chief of the Protocol Department of the Federal Ministry for European and Foreign Affairs of Austria, stated his great appreciation for joint co-operation over recent times, affirming that the Ministry and other Austrian agencies will continue to accompany the Vietnamese Embassy in promoting joint relations moving forward.
Dr. Najat Mokhtar, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), emphasized that the nation is an important partner of the IAEA in the Asia-Pacific region and represents a bright spot in the process of applying nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. In September of this year, the country was unanimously elected to the Board of Governors of the IAEA for the 2021 to 2023 term.
He voiced his hope that the nation will continue to co-ordinate with the IAEA and play a co-ordinating role in the region when implementing joint projects, especially those responding to plastic waste (NUTEC Plastic).
Since the original establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, the nation and Austria have always maintained and promoted co-operation across a variety of fields, especially trade-investment, science and technology, and human resource training.
Both nations also regularly co-ordinate and offer mutual support at international forums and organisations.