Berlin (VNA) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s official visitto Vietnam from November 13-14 will open up a new chapter in the two countries’ friendship and cooperation, showing the joint commitment and determination tolift the ties to a new height. 

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to GermanyVu Quang Minh in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents inBerlin on the threshold of the visit.

Minh said that the visit is of great significance to thebilateral relationship, as Vietnam and Germany are successfully implementingtheir Strategic Partnership Agreement over the past decade as well as gaininggreat achievements in economic and trade cooperation after more than two yearsenforcing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

This is also the first high-level visit between the twocountries five years after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit to Germanyin 2017.

Olaf Scholz’s trip also demonstrates Germany's growinginterest in and the importance it attaches to Southeast Asia, particularlyVietnam - a reliable and stable partner of Germany in the region and the world,he added.

The diplomat stated that on this occasion, Vietnam and Germanywill officially approve an Action Plan for 2023-2024 to promote the bilateralStrategic Partnership, and put forward a long-term vision for the ties from nowto 2030 and beyond.

The two sides will also have in-depth discussions onmeasures to promote bilateral cooperation in important areas such assustainable development, climate change response, energy transition, green andrenewable energy development, vocational training and education, information technology,manufacturing, agricultural product processing and chemicals.

Germany remains Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in the EuropeanUnion, while Vietnam has risen to become Germany’s largest trade partner in SoutheastAsia.

Over a decade after the establishment of the bilateral strategicpartnership, two-way trade has doubled. It hit 9.45 billion USD in the firstnine months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 16.7%, according to Vietnam’sstatistics.

As of the end of May this year, Germany had 426 valid investment projects worth 2.31 billion USD in Vietnam, while Vietnam had 36 projects in Germany with total registered capital of 283.3 million USD. 

Ambassador Minh noted that the two countries' economies arehighly complementary, and the challenges facing them are opening up new more opportunitiesfor cooperation.

Vietnam is currently considered by German businesses and investorsas a reliable partner and a leading attractive market to shift their investmentand trade, or strengthen economic-trade relations.

He affirmed that, with the 2023-2024 Action Plan and otherimportant frameworks, on the basis of great achievements in bilateralcooperation over the past time, Vietnam and Germany are seeing a goldenopportunity to further promote cooperation in many fields, bringing thestrategic partnership to a new height, not only in politics and security but alsoin economics, trade, science and technology, education and training, vocationaltraining and labour cooperation./.