President’s Austria trip is a long awaited visit for both sides, says diplomat
VOV.VN - Both Vietnam and Austria have high hopes on the upcoming visit to Vienna by State President Vo Van Thuong as it is the first high-level visit exchange held between the two countries over the past decade, says Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien.
The trip, part of President's Europe tour, will give the two countries the chance to affirm their strong relationship that is developing comprehensively. In addition, it will offer the President the chance to meet and work alongside multilateral diplomatic forums, thereby helping to assert Vietnam’s voice and role in multilateral international forums, said Ambassador Kien in an interview granted to Vietnamese media agencies.
As the Austrian capital, Vienna represents the world’s third largest centre for multilateral diplomacy, alongside New York of the United States and Geneva of Switzerland. It is the place where many major UN headquarters are located such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
During the visit, President Thuong is scheduled to hold talks alongside Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and to meet with President of the Federal Council Claudia Arpa, as well as the heads of the Austrian states of Vienna and Burgenland. The President will also hold meetings with representatives of international organisations, including the Acting Director General of the IAEA.
Austria is one of Vietnam’s top 10 trading partners in the EU, of which pre-pandemic bilateral turnover hit nearly US$4 billion. Bilateral trade has increased considerably following the enforcement of the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Vietnam (EVFTA) in August, 2020.
However, Austrian investment in Vietnam remains modest. Austria currently ranks 41st out of 108 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian economy with 43 valid projects valued at US$148.59 million.
Alongside politics and economics, bilateral cooperation has also been expanded to other fields such as education - training, science – technology, and culture. Austria offers Vietnam plenty of scholarships for training in music, science, and research.
Discussing the prospect of future cooperation, Ambassador Kien noted that the two sides still have a lot of potential to further promote ties, especially in the fields of economics, trade, and investment.
Science-technology makes up a key Austrian strength that Vietnam needs to develop its manufacturing industries, while Austria also sees Vietnam as an emerging market in Asia and a hub for production development. This is one of the key future cooperation fields between the two countries moving forward, said the Ambassador.
