Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Dũng (right) shakes hand with Israeli Ambassador to Việt Nam Yaron Mayer at Tuesday ceremony marking 76th anniversary of the Independence Day of Israel (May 14, 1948 - 2024) held in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

HCM CITY — The 76th anniversary of the Independence Day of Israel (May 14, 1948 - 2024) was celebrated at a ceremony held in HCM City by the Israeli Embassy in Việt Nam on Tuesday.

Offering congratulations to the Israeli Government and people, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Dũng said since Việt Nam and Israel established their diplomatic relations on July 12, 1993, the bilateral ties have been advancing in multiple areas.

HCM City has been making efforts and is proud to contribute to the progress of the two countries’ relations, he said, noting that it appreciates support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy.

He considered the cooperation programmes on manpower quality improvement, support for young startups, high-tech dairy farming, and application of smart climate and irrigation systems implemented by HCM City and Israeli partners, with the embassy’s assistance, as demonstrations of the effective bilateral cooperation.

The official called on Israeli businesses and investors to boost investment while carrying out new mutually beneficial cooperation models and projects in the southern largest economic hub of Việt Nam.

The local administration has been consistently creating the best possible conditions for foreign investors, including those from Israel, to operate fruitfully, safely, and in the long term in the city, Dũng affirmed, adding that it will also support the Israeli Embassy to step up cooperation programmes and projects to contribute to the two countries’ friendship and multifaceted ties.

In his remarks, Israeli Ambassador Yaron Mayer stressed that the two countries share diplomatic and friendly relations for more than three decades, with Việt Nam having become a leading destination for Israeli people to travel to and do business in.

He described the Việt Nam-Israel free trade agreement, signed in July 2023, as an important milestone built on the mutual trust and common wish for a shared future.

Bilateral trade turnover topped US$2.7 billion in 2023 while Israel’s sea transport company Zim, one of the world’s leading transport firms, has shifted its Southeast Asian hub to Việt Nam, opening a direct trading route between the two sides.

In addition, partnerships in education, science, and research have brought together their young scientists who will play a critical role in shaping the future of the two countries’ relations, and HCM City is the centre of these efforts, the ambassador remarked.

Mayer said that the history of Việt Nam is a source of inspiration for the Israeli people. Việt Nam nowadays is a country of peace, prosperity and development, and Israeli also hopes to live in peace and harmony with its neighbours. — VNA/VNS