EU Ambassador Julien Guerrier: “The EU will create added value for bilateral relations”

The new Ambassador of the European Union (EU) had a press conference one day after presenting his credentials to President Vo Van Thuong. Ambassador Julien Guerrier emphasized that Vietnam has an important position in terms of economy, population, and geographical location in the Asia- Pacific region , and is therefore always an important partner of the EU. During this new term, through specific support tools, the European Union hopes to contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goals in Vietnam.

PV: Hello Ambassador Julien Guerrier, could you briefly introduce yourself as a greeting to the Vietnamese people as you begin your new 5-year term here?

Ambassador Julien Guerrier: Hello everyone. I am very happy to be back in Vietnam as the Ambassador of the European Union to Vietnam. Vietnam is not strange to me at all. In 1996, I also came here as a tourist. More importantly, 27 years ago, I came to Vietnam many times with the European Union's negotiating delegation for Vietnam's accession to the WTO. Since then, working regularly in the fields of economics , trade and investment, I have witnessed many spectacular changes in your country. The EU in general and its members in particular are friends of Vietnam and have enthusiastically supported Vietnam's sustainable development goals over the past decades.

Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Vietnam, Julien Guerrier.

It can be said that the Indo- Pacific is a very important region and currently plays a more central role. Therefore, the EU has had development strategies in this region. In particular, Vietnam has a very important position in terms of economy, population as well as geographical location. Therefore, Vietnam has always been a very important partner of the European Union.

During this term, I want to fulfill a mission for the next 5 years, which is to continue supporting Vietnam to achieve its goals and ambitions. That is to become a developed income country by 2045. Along with that, the European Union wants to continue supporting Vietnam's Green transition, towards the goal of zero net emissions. Second, we hope that, with its experience in innovation research, the EU is a powerhouse in this field, with its skills, experience and technology, it can support Vietnam within its capacity.

At the same time, the European Union wants Vietnam to develop further while still maintaining its cultural identity. We continue to support you in related content to move towards a high-income country by 2045, as well as achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

PV: So now, could you please tell us more about the programs, plans and specific priorities of the European Union in promoting and expanding cooperation with Vietnam?

Ambassador Julien Guerrier: The EU not only supports in terms of ideas but also directly through various means and five instruments. First, I would like to mention the Free Trade Agreement that is being implemented. It can be seen that in the past few years, the bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and the EU has witnessed a growth of 32%. Vietnam's exports are now 4 times higher than the reverse direction from the EU to Vietnam.

Second, with a funding tool called the "Global Gateway", the EU wants to assist Vietnam in building infrastructure for transport, energy, healthcare, digital transformation, and innovation. With a capital of over 300 billion euros for countries around the world, including Vietnam, this funding source is to support sustainable development goals without causing public debt problems, while bringing positive impacts to people, society, and the environment...

The third tool is the Just Energy Transition (JEPT) mechanism of the G7 and other international partners. The EU wants to support Vietnam in its transition from coal to renewable energy with an expected capital of 15.5 billion USD from the public budget and private investment. Here, the main responsibility lies with international partners, including the two coordinators, the EU and the UK, and other countries in the G7, who will coordinate to support Vietnam's energy transition goals.

The fourth is the Horizon Europe investment program for research and innovation. This program will open up opportunities to register for aid and investment for countries around the world, including Vietnam, especially research institutes where Vietnam has strengths. Vietnam has talented and reputable innovators and the EU encourages them to register to access aid from the fund, through which experts from Vietnam and the EU can exchange skills, knowledge, experience and technology.

And the fifth tool is to promote cooperation in security and defense. The European Union has a project to strengthen security cooperation with Asia. Through this mechanism, the EU will help Vietnam build capacity such as maritime security, cyber security and other related areas.

President Vo Van Thuong with European Union Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier. Photo quandoinhandan.vn

Reporter: Ambassador, the field of foreign affairs and people-to-people exchange is also an impressive highlight, a soft power in connecting the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the European Union countries up to now. So in the new term, how will the EU and Vietnam continue to promote this activity?

Ambassador Julien Guerrier: On September 26, I had the honor of presenting my credentials to the President of Vietnam and we had a discussion, in which I talked about the most optimal ways to maximize the effectiveness of tools in supporting Vietnam's development process.

Vietnam is developing in the direction of the slogan Independence - Freedom - Happiness. That is a phrase that I feel fully beautiful and meaningful. And this slogan has reflected the aspirations of the people. Therefore, the EU and Vietnam need to further promote people-to-people exchanges, which will help further promote the relationship between the two sides. The European Union wishes to further concretize these aspirations through cooperation mechanisms in areas such as Culture and Higher Education.

This coming October, we will organize a European Study Fair in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to provide useful information about life and education in Europe for young Vietnamese people. Through this, we can learn to promote long-term cooperation and partnership in accordance with the spirit of the desire for cooperation and exchange between the people of the EU and Vietnam.

The EU is a long-standing trusted friend and partner of Vietnam. We are uniquely positioned to add value to our bilateral partnership, towards realising Vietnam’s ambitions. I believe that Vietnam can count on the European Union – a reliable and suitable partner, as well as me personally, as a friend. This is an opportunity for Vietnam and we look forward to working together to support Vietnam in realising these opportunities.”

PV: Thank you very much, Ambassador.

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