Canada looks forward to promoting increasingly strong relations with Vietnam

Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison and Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc place a brick on the floor of the new Canadian embassy in Hanoi (Photo: Duc Hoang).

"Canada is proud to have established its embassy on Hung Vuong Street near historic Ba Dinh Square since 1994. During that time, Canada has had the honor of witnessing the tremendous changes that Vietnam has undergone. Vietnam has become a dynamic, prosperous country with a rich culture," said Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Canadian embassy in Vietnam, located in an office building on Lieu Giai Street on December 13.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials from both countries, representatives of ministries, departments, agencies and organizations from both Canada and Vietnam.

"Our two countries have achieved tremendous success in recent times. In 2017, the two countries established a Comprehensive Partnership, which is a solid foundation for the two countries to expand relations and strengthen cooperation in many areas. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic causing a series of difficulties and challenges, Canada and Vietnam have still achieved much progress in bilateral relations," Mr. Morrison emphasized.

Vietnam has been Canada's leading trading partner in ASEAN since 2015. With the implementation of the CPTPP agreement, bilateral trade between the two countries has grown strongly.

“Last November, Canada announced its Indo- Pacific strategy. Through this strategy, Canada is committed to increasing its presence in Vietnam and the region. We are deploying additional resources and new tools to serve our growing bilateral relationship, and the investment in our new embassy is one example.

“This facility will be a modern, sustainable, environmentally friendly, accessible space located in the heart of a dynamic district. This is a concrete example of our commitment to the growing relationship with Vietnam,” the Canadian diplomat emphasized.

The Canadian diplomat said the new embassy on Lieu Giai Street is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. He expressed his hope that Canada and Vietnam will continue to promote increasingly strong relations.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc recalled memories related to the Canadian embassy in Hanoi over the past nearly 30 years.

"I still remember at that time, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam personally cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Canadian embassy headquarters on Hung Vuong Street in November 1994 during the first visit of a Canadian prime minister to Vietnam.

This event opened a series of important milestones between Vietnam and Canada in the following years. It not only created the premise to promote the bilateral relationship at that time but also laid a solid foundation for the relationship between the two countries to reach the height of comprehensive partnership decades later," he emphasized.

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc commented that the groundbreaking ceremony for the new headquarters of the Canadian Embassy in Hanoi took place on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, an extremely meaningful time.

The two countries have made achievements in bilateral relations, demonstrating the great and tireless efforts of the two nations to move towards a new trajectory in closer and more effective relations.

Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc pointed out bright spots in the cooperation between the two countries in defense, security, trade, politics, education, training, local cooperation, people's diplomacy, environmental protection, ocean protection, and climate change response.

He described the relationship between the two countries as having achieved many "fragrant flowers and sweet fruits" over the years, and expressed confidence that the future of cooperation between the two sides will continue to develop.

New Eco-Friendly Embassy Aims for Sustainable Development

Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Steil talks to the press (Photo: Duc Hoang).

Sharing with the media, Mr. Shawn Steil, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam, said that the country plans to use environmentally friendly materials, close to nature, to complete the construction of the new embassy, ​​aiming for sustainable development goals.

In addition, Canada wants to build a friendly environment and space and ensure the health of employees working in this facility.

During the construction process, Canada will try to use local contractors. Canada also wants the new embassy to have American identity and elements and will incorporate these during the construction process.

In addition, Ambassador Steil emphasized that Canada considers Vietnam a focus of the Indo-Pacific strategy, in all five key areas including security, development cooperation, trade, environment and climate change, promoting diplomatic relations.

The diplomat shared plans to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the future. For example, Canada has a program to support Vietnamese coastal communities to cope with climate change. Canada also sets up funds to help countries, including Vietnam, better utilize their fisheries resources.

Ambassador Steil also expressed optimism when mentioning the prospects of economic cooperation between Canada and Vietnam this year and next year, saying that the two countries have great potential to move towards larger and more ambitious goals.

According to the Ambassador, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Canada in 2022 grew significantly compared to 2021, at 30%. This year, although 2023 has not ended, statistics show that the growth rate may be even higher than last year.

He emphasized that although the world has faced economic fluctuations in the past year, the consumer price index in Canada is very high, meaning that Canadians still spend money on goods, including Vietnamese goods. In addition, agricultural products and food from Canada to Vietnam are increasing sharply. These are two reasons why he is confident that Vietnam - Canada economic cooperation will continue to grow in the future.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/canada-mong-muon-thuc-day-quan-he-ngay-cang-ben-chat-voi-viet-nam-20231213195546006.htm