On the occasion of Independence Day of Myanmar (January 4), Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Win sends a message to Việt Nam News readers.

Today, we commemorate the 71st anniversary of independence of our beloved motherland - the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. I would like to convey my heartiest congratulations and warm felicitations to all member of the Myanmar community in Việt Nam. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my profound thanks to the Government and the friendly people of Việt Nam for their good wishes.

The prime intention of celebrating Independence Day is to honour and remember the great heroes who sacrificed their lives to regain independence and freedom for the country with gratitude, to pave the way to today’s generation in making their present and future more meaningful and to treasure independence and freedom. The most important duty for all Myanmar citizens is that through this hard-won freedom, we should all work in unison for peace and national reconciliation, develop the country and establish a democratic federal union which all the people of Myanmar aspire to.

Myanmar is endowed with both natural beauty and resources blessed with a young population, fertile soil and a variety of flora and fauna. Also, Myanmar shares borders with five countries, including the two most populous and fast-growing economies of the world and on the south and south-west sits the Bay of Bengal providing easy access to the world’s major shipping lanes. With such a favourable situation, Myanmar is poised to become an axis of the hub for trades and transportations in the region and also serve as a gateway to the Far East, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

All these attribute immense potential to the development and prosperity for the people of Myanmar. However, we have yet to realise our full potential.

In this respect, I wish to invite the Vietnamese business community to invest in Myanmar for mutual benefits for both our countries and peoples. Myanmar and Việt Nam have many things in common. We have succeeded in our struggle for freedom and independence.

At present, both countries have embarked on national reforms and are striving for development. I have every confidence that with the strong wills of our peoples we will achieve our national goals.

Discussing the Myanmar-Việt Nam relationship has been a source of both joy and pride. Myanmar and Việt Nam have not only enjoyed friendly ties but also elevated our traditional bilateral cooperation to Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership, marking another milestone in our bilateral relations. We are also closely collaborating in both regional and international forums such as ACD, ACEMECS, Mekong Initiatives, ASEAN and the United Nations. I am convinced that our partnership will continue to be intensified with joint efforts in the years to come.

We are also happy to witness that our relationships have been consolidated by frequent exchanges of high-level visits in recent years. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar visited Việt Nam in November 2017, in April and September 2018. Likewise, President Nguyễn Phú Trọng paid a state visit to Myanmar in August 2017 in his capacity as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

We firmly believe that these visits not only cemented our strong bonds but also fostered people-to-people connectivity between Myanmar and Việt Nam. We firmly believe that there will be more such visits to reinforce our common interest to enhance our co-operation.

We are confident that the people of Myanmar will be able continue the march forward in endeavours for peace and national reconciliation, development, establishment of a democratic federal union and take Myanmar and its people forward to a greater level of peace and prosperity. — VNS