Delegates at the celebratory meeting
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Vietnam and Chile established diplomatic relations in 1972 and Vietnam is currently the second largest trade partner of Chile in ASEAN. The Vietnam-Chile free trade agreement (FTA) was signed in November 2011, taking effect in early 2014. It is also the first FTA that Vietnam signed with a Latin America country.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc stressed the event is a significant milestone in the two countries’ overall relations. He also reviewed the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Chile over the past 45 years. He hoped the ties will continue flourishing for both countrys’ interests, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and in the world.
Meanwhile, Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Claudio Quintana lauded the remarkable development of Vietnam in recent years together with its proactive integration and collaboration with many countries, including Chile.
Along with 10 other countries, Chile and Vietnam signed the Trans-Pacific-Partnership (TPP) agreement which is expected to create new opportunities for trading goods, generating value chains and opening new markets, he added.
The Ambassador said that Chile shares many mutual goals with Vietnamese people, and wished that the Southeast Asian country will continue to obtain fruitful achievements in its development process. The Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effective from January 1, 2014, helping boost bilateral trade turnover by 70 percent, reaching nearly one billion USD in 2015.
Vietnam and Chile will have more opportunities to cooperate in numerous fields such as economy, energy, agriculture, telecommunication and national defense under the umbrella of the TPP, of which the two countries are members.
