The search and rescue team of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) return from Turkey in February, concluding its working trip to join recovery efforts in the earthquake-hit nation. (Photo: VNA) Rome (VNA) – The relations between Vietnam andTurkey have seen unexpected achievements in the past 45 years, and thereis potential to lift the bilateral ties to a new height, VietnameseAmbassador to Turkey Do Son Hai has said.
He made the statementin a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents insouthern Europe on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of diplomaticties between the two countries (June 7).
According to the ambassador, the year2017 marked a historic milestone in the two countries’ trade as two-way tradehit 3.2 billion USD, making Vietnam the second largest partner ofTurkey in ASEAN after Malaysia.
The COVID-19 pandemic has partly affected the two countries' tradeactivities with the two-way trade reaching about 1.65 billion USD in2022. However, it remains a bright spot in the two countries’ relations, Hai said.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Do Son Hai (Photo: vovo.vn) Regardingthe potential for further cooperation betweenthe two countries in the coming time, Ambassador Hai underlined thegreat possibility of expanding and improving the effectiveness ofcooperation in trade.
Businesses of the two countries are increasinglyinterested in each other in fields, especially agriculture, and tourism, hesaid.
Bilateral trade turnover is the clearest evidence of thedevelopment potential of the Vietnam-Turkey relations, he said, citingdata from the Vietnam General Department of Customs that in the first four monthsof 2023 , Vietnamese exports to Turkey had reached 642.34 million USD, a year-on-yearincrease of 29.7%.
A favourable factor for the strengthening ofbilateral relations is that national carrier Turkish Airlines, the 7thlargest airline in the world in 2022, now opens direct flights fromHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Istanbul, with seven flights per week, headded.
The diplomat went on to say the two countries aim to increase two-way trade to 4 billion USD by2025.
At international organisations and multilateral forums,the potential for cooperation between the two countries remains huge.
Regarding activities celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Turkey, AmbassadorHai said that in 2023, the embassy has been actively coordinating with theforeign ministry, organisations, agencies, and businesses of Turkey toorganise events such as Vietnam Day in Ankara, fairs in localities tointroduce development stages of their bilateral relations, documentaries on 45years of Vietnam – Turkey aired by two national television stations, VietnamTelevision VTV and TRT of Turkey.
The Ambassador concluded that to promote the development of bilateralties,the two countries need to boost activities to present their nations,peoples, and markets, and create conditions for the two countries'businesses to access each other's market, as well as accelerate theestablishment of Vietnam-Turkey joint venturecompanies.
In additional, theꦯ two countries need to promote theorganisation of the 8th session of the Vietnam-Turkey Joint Economic andTrade Committee, he said. The seventh sess⛄ion was held in Hanoi inJuly, 2017./.
