Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Vietnam Guido Hildner emphasized that the visit of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to create a strong driving force to promote the relationship between the two countries to a new height. (Source: chinhphu.vn)

Speaking about the significance of the State visit of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife to Vietnam from January 23-24, German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner emphasized that the visit is a highlight in Vietnam-Germany relations this year, and is expected to create a strong driving force to promote the relationship between the two countries to new heights.

According to Ambassador Guido Hildner, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has high expectations for this visit to Vietnam. The President has known Vietnam from previous visits as German Foreign Minister. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is eager to witness Vietnam's new successes in recent years.

During his visit to Vietnam, President Steinmeier will hold talks and meetings with senior Vietnamese leaders. He will visit the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, meet with students, teachers, and labor recruitment partners to learn about the exchange of skilled labor between Vietnam and Germany. Afterwards, the President is expected to attend a talk on immigration history and experiences.

Ambassador Guido Hildner shared that on his second working day in Vietnam, the President will leave for Ho Chi Minh City. Here, he and the German business delegation will have a discussion with representatives of enterprises in Vietnam about the prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The President will then visit the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) and deliver a speech to students and lecturers. Vietnam and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1975. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2011. Since 2020, Vietnam has been classified as a “Global Partner” in Germany’s Development Cooperation Strategy to 2030.

Ambassador Guido Hildner said that he was personally impressed with the achievements Vietnam has made in the past decades. The German Ambassador in Hanoi affirmed that Germany always accompanies and supports Vietnam on the path of national construction and development.

He said that economic, trade and investment cooperation is an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries. In 2023, two-way trade turnover will reach more than 11 billion USD. Germany is Vietnam's largest trading partner in Europe. Over 350 German enterprises are operating in Vietnam. As of May 2023, Germany has 444 valid projects with a total registered investment capital of over 2.36 billion USD, ranking 18th out of 143 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

Education is one of the key areas of German cooperation in Vietnam. Currently, about 300 Vietnamese PhD students receive research scholarships in Germany and about 7,500 Vietnamese students are studying at German universities. The two countries are also promoting vocational training cooperation, a very potential area of ​​cooperation between the two sides.

Ambassador Guido Hildner said that the Vietnamese-German University, a public university in cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany, is aiming to become an excellent university model not only in Vietnam but also has a long-term vision to become an excellent university in the region. In addition, the two countries are focusing on developing other areas of cooperation such as energy, environment and climate change.

According to Ambassador Guido Hildner, the relationship between the two countries also has another "bridge", which is the large Vietnamese community in Germany with nearly 200,000 people. The Vietnamese in Germany are one of the important bridges between the two countries.

Regarding the potential to promote bilateral relations between Vietnam and Germany in the coming time, Ambassador Guido Hildner affirmed that Germany wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Vietnam in the economic and political fields. Germany considers Vietnam an important partner in maintaining and developing the “rules-based international order”.

He added that two potential areas of cooperation between the two countries in the coming time are energy transition and labor cooperation. Germany wants to support Vietnam in moving towards renewable energy sources and eliminating fossil fuels and coal. Germany is one of the developed countries that has established a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Vietnam.

The second area with great potential for cooperation between the two sides, according to the German Ambassador, is the recruitment of highly skilled Vietnamese workers for Germany. The German labor market offers attractive job opportunities for Vietnamese people. That is one of the great potentials for cooperation between the two countries, which we need to turn into practical results, Ambassador Guido emphasized.