Hanoi (VNA) - The relationship betweenVietnam and Germany has ceaselessly developed in both depth and breadth, and inan effective and practical manner across all fields despite historical changes,Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.

Minh wrote an article reviewing the past and the futureorientations of bilateral ties on the occasion of the 45th founding anniversaryof Vietnam-Germany diplomatic ties (September 23).

He noted that Vietnam and Germany set up diplomaticrelations in 1975 but links between the two nations started a long time before then.The first German diplomats were sent to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in themiddle of the 19th century to connect the two countries, he added.

On his journey to seek measures to salvage the nation,President Ho Chi Minh once stopped in Germany and later nurtured the friendshipbetween the two nations.

Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian nation to boast speciallinks with Germany, with more than 100,000 students and workers studying and workingin the country in the 1950s, giving them a deep understanding of the German languageand culture. More than 170,000 Vietnamese people from different generations nowliving in Germany have helped promote the diverse and unique relationshipbetween the two countries, he said.

Over the past 45 years, bilateral ties have seen strongvitality thanks to close cooperation in the fields of politics, diplomacy,economy, and culture. Delegation exchanges have been conducted amongministries, sectors, and localities, along with diplomatic activities throughParty and National Assembly channels and people-to-people contacts.

The Hanoi Declaration on the establishment of thestrategic partnership between Vietnam and Germany, which was signed in October2011 during German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Vietnam, was animportant milestone shaping bilateral ties over the last 10 years, the DeputyPM said.

He noted that many cooperation mechanisms between thetwo sides have proven effective. Meanwhile, based on a firm foundation of soundbilateral political relations, the economic partnership between the two sideshas also flourished.

Germany has long been the largest trade partner ofVietnam in Europe. Two-way trade has now doubled the 2010 figure, standing atmore than 10 billion USD and with growth exceeding 10 percent each year, hesaid.

The Deputy PM underlined that the EU-Vietnam FreeTrade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement(EVIPA), both of which took effect on August 1, 2020, are expected to createnew and substantial opportunities for businesses of both sides.

As Vietnam’s 18th-largest foreign investor,Germany has more than 300 businesses investing over 2 billion USD in 361projects in the Southeast Asian country.

Vietnamese enterprises, meanwhile, have 35 investmentprojects worth over 250 million USD in Germany, focusing on the fields offinance-banking, information technology, restaurants, and hotels.

Minh underscored that Vietnam hopes to work withGermany to fully tap the significant cooperation potential between the twocountries amid the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Alongside trade and investment, developmentcooperation is also an important factor in bilateral relations, he said, emphasisingthat Vietnam treasures and remembers the precious support the Government andpeople of Germany gave the country during its national construction anddevelopment.

Over the last three decades, Germany has providedVietnam with ODA of over 2 billion USD while sharing its experience in growthmodels as well as renewable energy exploitation, environmental protection, andvocational training, helping Vietnam complete the Millennium Development Goals aheadof schedule and implement sustainable development goals.

In the field of education, the Vietnam-GermanyUniversity, capable of educating 12,000 students, has been finalised, while theteaching of Vietnamese and German in schools in the other country has beenencouraged, and cultural and sports exchanges have brought people from bothsides closer together, Minh wrote.

The direct air route between the two countries, whichopened 15 years ago, has met demand for travel among the people of bothcountries.

From a multilateral standpoint, Vietnam and Germany havecoordinated closely and supported each other at regional and international forumssuch as ASEAN, the EU, ASEM, and the UN.

Both sides have shared common viewpoints and visionson multilateralism, order, and stability on the foundation of law, as well asthe observation of international law and environmental protection. Vietnam andGermany have regularly sought a common voice in the settlement of regional andglobal challenges, Minh said.

He noted that, in 2020, Vietnam is performing the rolesof non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and ASEAN Chair, whileGermany is the rotating EU Chair for the second half of 2020.

He said the two sides have agreed to promote cooperationand seize opportunities to strengthen Asia-Europe connectivity, contributing topeace and stability in the two regions and security and development around theworld.

Initiatives in the prevention and control of COVID-19 manifesteda cooperative spirit, he added.

“Looking back on the history of the relationshipbetween the two countries over the last four decades and more, he said, we are happyand proud of the dynamic and practical development of the bilateral strategicpartnership. The outcomes of and great potential for cooperation are importantmotivation for stronger and more extensive, intensive, and comprehensive cooperationbetween the two countries over the next decades, matching the interests andaspirations of the Governments and people of both nations and for a world ofpeace, stability, and prosperity,” Minh wrote.

He also expressed confidence that with joint effortsand determination as well as the continued close friendship between the twonations, all goals will become reality shortly./.