Vietnam hopes to develop cooperation with Germany
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle in Hanoi on June 4 during his working visit to Vietnam.
Minister Westerwelle informed PM Dung about the positive results of talks with Vietnam’s Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh, and said the two sides had reached many agreements, including a commitment to support each other in international forums, visa exemption for diplomatic staff, and promotion of cooperation in some vocational-training projects in Vietnam.
He confirmed that Germany always wants to improve comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, aiming to build a strategic partnership, and expressed his belief that both Vietnam and Germany have great potential for cooperating in the future in such fields as economics, trade, education, training, culture and the arts.
PM Dung showed his pleasure at the development of Vietnam-Germany relations in all fields, particularly politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, education, training, science and technology.
He also affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to reinforcing the comprehensive friendship and cooperation with Germany, and highly appreciated Germany’s role in Europe and the world. He said that Vietnam will support Germany to become a member of the United Nations Security Council when it is expanded.
The Government leader evaluated the results of talks between the two foreign ministries and applauded both sides preparing to sign agreements to raise the two countries’ relationship to a strategic partnership when the German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Vietnam in October.
He noted that the Vietnam-Germany two-way trade turnover in 2010 reached nearly US$6 billion, however, both sides still have untapped potential and need to boost cooperation in trade. He also sent sincere thanks to the German Government for providing Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Vietnam and hoped that Germany will continue to assist Vietnam in vocational training, developing human resources and coping with climate change.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Dung and Minister Westerwelle witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese and German Governments for a project to build metro No. 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, valued at nearly EUR213 million, and a vocational training programme worth EUR10 million.