To celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Türkiye and Việt Nam (June 7, 1978 – June 7, 2023), ambassador Haldun Tekneci writes to Việt Nam News:

Today, we commemorate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Türkiye and Việt Nam. Türkiye and Việt Nam have been steadily developing their friendly relations since 1978.

Over the years, we have witnessed the strengthening and diversification of our relations. Of course, there is still a lot of potential for enlarging cooperation and collaboration in the future.

There are many Turkish firms that have expertise in renewable energy, water and waste management, heavy infrastructure construction, food production as well as health and pharmaceuticals, that can play an active role in the development efforts of Việt Nam.

We are pleased to see increasing number of Turkish companies that have already chosen Việt Nam as their production venue. And we are sure that many will follow them considering Việt Nam’s thriving economic prospective. Türkiye also provides a solid business platform for Vietnamese entrepreneurs in many fields, be it capital investment, on-site manufacturing or know-how sharing.

During the past two and a half years, we have suffered the dire effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, it has shown us the importance for the international community to work in solidarity to overcome challenging situations.

When high magnitude earthquakes hit my country on February 6, 2023, Việt Nam resolutely joined in contributing to international humanitarian aid as well as search and rescue operations. We are grateful for the support and solidarity shown by Việt Nam to alleviate the effects of the loss and destruction caused by those earthquakes.

The Government of Türkiye and Turkish people will always remember Việt Nam's kind support and cooperation in these difficult days. We believe the efforts exerted by Việt Nam in this regard were the manifestation of strong bonds between the two countries.

Ambassador Haldun Tekneci (left) meets with Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn on February 17, 2023. — Photo courtesy of the embassy

Türkiye and Việt Nam’s educational, social, cultural, tourism-related ties have also been growing. Each year, we provide to an increasing number of Vietnamese students the opportunity to study in our country. Our inter-institutional cooperation with Vietnamese authorities is also maintained with a number of education and training programmes.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, which has a strong knowledge of various types of aid as well as project development on irrigation, de-salination and water management, is willing to participate more in the efforts involving the Mekong Delta and contribute to the improvement of the livelihood of the local people in the region.

ASEAN is another international actor that Türkiye is keen on furthering its ties with. Our Sectoral Dialogue Partnership with the Bloc as well as our mutually complementing roles with Việt Nam in other international fore provide further opportunities for our ties to grow, especially in sustainable development.

When reflecting on the 45 years of relations and cooperation, we observe that both countries have achieved a good deal together. We now enjoy trade volume that went from next-to-negligible to billions, more encompassing contractual relations and widened people-to-people contacts. And we look forward to having even stronger relations and diplomatic ties in the next 45 years. — VNS