Delegates at the conference celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Việt Nam-Germany Strategic Partnership. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Even after a decade of Strategic Partnership, there is still ample room for growth in Việt Nam-Germany bilateral relations, said Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Tô Anh Dũng.

The diplomat made the remarks during a keynote speech at a conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Việt Nam-Germany Strategic Partnership on October 11, jointly held by the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Hà Nội on October 16.

Political relations between the two countries continued to be strengthened via the exchange of delegates and high-level meetings at multilateral forums, Dũng said.

Việt Nam and Germany closely coordinated on ASEAN-EU relations in 2020, when both countries served dual roles as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, and chairs of the respective regional associations – Việt Nam as chair of ASEAN and Germany as President of EU.

Bilateral economic cooperation was a key for both nations. Germany had grown to become Việt Nam’s largest partner in the EU, while Việt Nam had become Germany’s largest partner in Southeast Asia, with trade value at US$15 billion, Dũng said. He added that other fields, such as education, training, society and culture had all obtained great results, as had three focus areas of renewable energy, environment protection and vocation.

The Vietnamese official also expressed appreciation of Germany’s donation of 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and medical supplies to Việt Nam, which showcased the flourishing friendship between the two countries.

Martin Thummel, Deputy Head of the Department of East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific region under the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the conference that the strategic partnership continued to be well executed in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

Against the strategic competition and vast global changes in the past decade, the two countries continued to share common interests in respecting international law and maintaining rules-based order, upholding multilateralism, and maintaining international peace and security, he said, adding that Việt Nam was one of Germany’s most important partners in ASEAN.

The development of ties with Việt Nam held a significant place in Germany’s Indo-Pacific policies, deployed in three pillars – prosperity, sustainability, and security, he noted.

Speakers at the conference remarked that while bilateral trade has grown, Việt Nam accounted only for 0.3-0.4 per cent of Germany’s total trade, and similarly, the investment from Germany into Việt Nam remained limited compared with its true potential.

They suggested that the two governments foster further dialogue at many levels, to create more open and sustainable business environments and to welcome investors, as well as proposing and implementing larger-scale projects, especially ones with a German presence.

Closing the seminar, Nguyễn Hùng Sơn, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam, and Florian Feyerabend, Resident Representative to Việt Nam from KAS, together affirmed the importance of boosting the Việt Nam-Germany strategic partnership in the new decade on a foundation of respect, trust, and mutual interests. They also stressed that the academy, the foundation, and the German Embassy in Việt Nam would continue their efforts to promote academic exchange and strategic consultation channels between the two countries in the future. — VNS