Germany, Vietnam move towards stronger ties

National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Doan made the statement at the April 10 reception in Hanoi for the Chairman of the German Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ruprecht Polenz.

Doan hailed Germany’s development achievements and thanked the country for continuing to provide official development assistance (ODA) funding for Vietnam.

She said that Vietnam pledges to deploy ODA efficiently in priority areas such as sustainable development, response to climate change, vocational training and health care.

The NA Vice Chairwoman praised the two legislative bodies for launching cooperation activities which help promote mutual understanding and trust and improve the operational efficiency of their parliaments.

Vietnam always attaches great importance to boosting cooperation with Germany, with a current focus on carrying out the “German House in HCM City” project and turning the Vietnam-Germany University into a regionally and internationally prestigious institution.

In response, Ruprecht Polenz expressed his delight at the ongoing development of bilateral relations and pledged to enhance cooperative relations with Vietnam, especially in education and vocational training.

At a reception for the German guest later the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan spoke highly of the effective bilateral cooperation between the two nations over the years, in areas such as culture, arts, science and technology.

Nhan thanked the German Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community and briefed him on Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and efforts to keep the economic growth rate at 5 percent.

As a pro-active ASEAN member, Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge for fostering relations between Germany and the regional grouping, Nhan said, hoping that the fine relationship between the two nations will be consolidated more comprehensively in the future.

Chairman Polenz said he hopes the Vietnamese Government will facilitate German investment in Vietnam and both nations will further strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation across a variety of fields that contribute to national construction and development in their respective countries.