Hanoi (VNA) – President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted separate receptions for outgoing Omani and Czech ambassadors in Hanoi on July 19 .

Receiving Omani Ambassador Saleh Mohamed Ahmed Al Saqri,President Phuc hailed the diplomat’s positive and effective contributions tothe promotion of the friendship and partnership between the two countries.

He affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to the friendship and cooperation with Oman in all fields, and thanked Omanfor supporting Vietnam in COVID-19 response and assisting flood victims in 2020.

Expressing delight at the growing political ties, theState leader held that this year, Vietnam and Oman celebratethe 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. This is a good chancefor them to further beef up partnership.

He noted that last year, two-way trade surged 100% to 340million USD, while the Vietnam-Oman joint investment fund has operated effectively, pouring 300 million USD into infrastructure and sustainable development projectsin Vietnam.

President Phuc asked the ambassador to convey hisinvitation to the Sultan of Oman to visit Vietnam. He stressed thatthe opening of Vietnamese embassy in Oman will be a priority of Vietnam in the time to come.

For his part, Ambassador Saleh Mohamed Ahmed Al Saqri noted that Vietnamand Oman have signed 10 agreements and three memoranda of understanding oncooperation in various fields, which is a foundation for them to continue fostering their partnership in the future.

Oman attaches great importance to cooperation with Vietnamand will continue to promote the agreed cooperation programmes, he said. Hesuggested that the two sides continue to expand the joint investment fund.

At the reception for Czech Ambassador Vitezslav Grepl, President Phuccongratulated the ambassador for a successful tenure, contributing tostrengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He said that Vietnam highly values the traditionalfriendship and all-round cooperation with the Czech Republic, and thanked the Europeancountry for supporting Vietnam in the past and at present as well as for providing it with 250,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The President highlighted that Vietnam and the Czech Republic have enjoyedgrowing economic and trade cooperation, with two-way trade rising 32% to 740million USD in 2021. The Czech Republic has run 38 projects worth over 90 millionUSD in Vietnam. However, he held that the results have yet to meet thepotential of both sides.

President Phuc said that he hopes as rotating Chair of the Council of theEuropean Union for the second half of 2022, the Czech Republic will urge EU countriesto soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), whilesupporting Vietnam’s efforts and hasten the EU's removal of the “yellow card” forVietnamese fisheries sector.

He welcomed Czech automaker SKODA to set up a joint venture for automobileproduction in Vietnam and pledged to back Czech investors.

The State leader said he hopes the Czech Republic will continue to assist theVietnamese community in the country.

For his part, Ambassador Grepl highlighted the close tiesbetween the two countries, including the growing economic and trade partnership, and expressed his special sentiments towardsVietnam.

He held that many big investors from the Czech Republic are interested ininvesting in Vietnam, including SKODA, which is expected to provide first carsto the market at the end of this year. The two sides have also seen fruitfuloutcomes in the fields of defence cooperation and people-to-people exchange, headded.

The ambassador also recognised contributions of the Vietnamesecommunity in the Czech Republic to the local society, especially amid COVID-19pandemic./.