President Truong Tan Sang, his wife and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Tegel airport, Berlin at 6pm (Vietnamese time) on November 24, beginning his three-day State visit to Germany at the invitation of German President Joachim Gauck.The Vietnamese leader was welcomed with a 21-gun salute at Tegel Airport by head of the Presidential Office of Germany David Gill, Deputy Chief of Protocol under Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Konrad Arz Von Straussenburg, Vietnamese Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung, the Vietnamese Embassy’s staff, and ambassadors and charge d’affairs of ASEAN countries in Germany.
President met with German friends and Vietnamese overseas in Germany
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Hailing the overseas Vietnamese’s contributions to the homeland, President Truong Tan Sang reiterated that the Vietnamese community abroad is an integral part of the nation. The Vietnamese Party and State pay due attention to caring and protecting the interests of overseas Vietnamese, the leader said, noting his hope that the Vietnamese in Germany will support each other and preserve traditional culture.
Representatives of the Vietnamese community in Germany expressed their hope that the Party and State will assist them to stabilise their lives and integrate into the host society. The President later met with German friends during which he recalled the day the late President Ho Chi Minh laid the foundation for the solidarity and friendship between the two nations.
President Truong Tan Sang thanked the German friends for their support for Vietnam during the struggle for liberation, saying Germany’s assistance in personnel training has created an important basis for the thriving friendship.
The leader informed the German friends about the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in various areas, which, he said, has seen great contributions by the Vietnam Friendship Association in Germany, the Germany-Vietnam Friendship Association and German individuals.
He voiced his hope that the German friends will continue their support for Vietnam’s national construction and development, as well as for the bilateral ties, for benefits and prosperity of the two countries’ people, and for peace, independence, democracy and social progress.
President Truong Tan Sang’s visit, the first ever made by a Vietnamese President to Germany since the country’s unification, is concurrent with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Vietnam and Germany established a strategic partnership in 2011 on the occasion of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Vietnam. The visit will create new cooperation opportunities and momentum for the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Vietnam-Germany cooperation has developed steadily, particularly in politics and diplomacy through high level visit exchanges and effective cooperative mechanisms. Chu Quy Cap, former Vietnamese ambassador to Germany and Vice President of the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association, said, “Vietnam and Germany signed a joint statement to establish their strategic partnership in 2011.
At that time Germany was one of a few countries who established strategic partnerships with Vietnam. Bilateral relations have been consolidated by frequent visit exchanges, which resulted in important political agreements.”
Germany has been one of Vietnam’s most important partners in the EU. Germany imports 20% of the Vietnamese goods exported to the EU. Two-way trade in 2014 was US$7.8 billion and is expected to increase 10% this year. Germany was active in negotiations on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and considers Vietnam a potentially fast developing market in Asia.
The two countries have implemented a number of cooperative projects including a German House and a metro route in HCM City. Chief Representative of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (EFE) in Vietnam Erwin Schweisshelm said, “Germany is now an important partner of Vietnam in the EU. German direct investment in Vietnam has grown significantly.”
Germany has given approximately US$2 billion worth of official development assistance to Vietnam. Germany is one of Vietnam’s most important partners in education and vocational training. There are approximately 100,000 Vietnamese people in Germany and a similar number of German speaking people in Vietnam, which will be crucial to deepening mutual understanding between the two countries.
Vietnam and Germany have been working closely together in development cooperation, environmental protection, education, science, and technology. The two countries are working on a Vietnam-Germany University and encouraging German businesses to invest in vocational training in Vietnam. Germany has helped Vietnam develop solar and wind energy. President Truong Tan Sang’s visit seeks new cooperation opportunities and momentum for the two countries’ strategic partnership.
