PM Phuc notes with joy growing Vietnam-Austria cooperation

Talking to IMC Krems lecturers and students, he said the Vietnamese people always bear in mind the sentiment and support the Austrian youths given to the country’s fight against foreign invasion in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Austria was one of the first western nations to have established diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

Vietnam has retained its position as Austria’s largest trade partner in Southeast Asia while Austria has remained Vietnam’s top 10 export markets within the European Union (EU). Austria’s development assistance in healthcare, the railway sector, and vocational training has proved effective in helping Vietnam to improve its people’s living standards, Phuc said.

He also briefed his hosts on Vietnam’s achievements after more than 30 years of pursuing the Doi Moi (renewal) process, noting that as a peaceful nation, the country has seen dynamic development, with its young population having high aspirations to study and establish themselves in their lives.  Education is regarded as a top priority to and a breakthrough of Vietnam in maximizing learning opportunities. Education is also a priority field of cooperation between the two countries in the years ahead.

Concerning the opportunities and challenges facing Vietnamese and Austrian youths, the PM said the Fourth Industrial Revolution is offering a plethora of major opportunities for countries to become closer, deepen mutual understanding, and increase the sharing of global community responsibilities.

He stated that the global is encountering numerous huge challenges. Although peace and development are still a major trend, the demonstration of military strength, the use or threat to use force and the emergence of unilateralism continue to be a threat to international peace and security. War and conflicts, religious and racial conflicts, separatism, and terrorism are still seen in many places around the world, the Vietnamese government leader said.

PM Phuc also touched upon other global challenges like unsustainable development, climate change, wealth inequality, gender inequality, environmental degradation, unemployment, and social crimes, which are threatening the process of ensuring sustainable development with younger generations among the most vulnerable groups, he said.

Building on the sound relationship between the two nations, PM Phuc showed his belief that the Vietnamese and Austrian young people will serve as a bridge further tightening bilateral friendship between the two countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, development, and prosperity in their respective regions.

On this occasion, PM Phuc witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between IMC Krems and the Vietnam University of Commerce.

The same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his delegation departed Vienna for Brussels to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit and pay official visits to Belgium and Denmark.