The inception of the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Association’s chapter inthe northern Emilia-Romagna region is important to the developmentof traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Chairman of the Italy-Vietnam Friendship AssociationFausto Co made the remark at a ceremony in Bologna city on January 31to introduce the chapter to the public, the seventh of its kind atregional level in Italy .

The chapter members areresponsible for promoting the image of Vietnam and enhancing therelationship between Vietnamese and Emilia-Romagna people inwide-ranging fields such as culture, education, science and economics,he said.

The birth of the chapter signals closerrapport between Vietnam and the region, Secretary of the associationNguyen Maily Anna Maria said, adding that this will aid bilateralbusiness ties.

As one of the most dynamic anddeveloping regions in Italy, Emilia-Romagna has carried out variousprogrammes in recent years to forge cultural and economic links withVietnam – which is considered a commercial gateway to the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The region isone of the top investors in Vietnam with strengths in machinemanufacturing, transportation, logistics, information technology, andfood industry. Two-way trade was estimated at 300 million USD in 2013,up nearly 30 percent year-on-year.

In 2014, a delegation of over 100 business people from the region sought investment opportunities in Vietnam .

Established in 1986, the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Association has helda variety of activities to promote the image of Vietnam to Italianfriends and develop multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries,including people-to-people exchanges.-VNA