Receiving the Austrian Ambassador, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the two sides promote delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones; strengthen cooperation activities, and enhance trade and investment exchanges.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Vietnam, Philipp Agathonos. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)
On the evening of March 26, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria, Philipp Agathonos, on the occasion of his assuming his term of office in Vietnam.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Ambassador Philipp Agathonos on his new assignment in Vietnam; expressed confidence that with his many years of experience in diplomacy, Ambassador Philipp Agathonos would make a positive contribution to consolidating and strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Austria; and affirmed that the Vietnamese Government and ministries would create all favorable conditions for Ambassador Philipp Agathonos to successfully complete his term of office.
Sharing his views on the development of bilateral relations, the Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at witnessing the impressive achievements in Vietnam-Austria relations, especially in the fields of political-diplomatic relations, economics, development cooperation, science and technology, culture and arts, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.
Vietnam is currently Austria's largest trading partner in ASEAN, and Austria consistently ranks among Vietnam's top 10 export markets in the EU, with trade turnover reaching approximately US$2.45 billion in 2024.
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the Austrian Government's provision of ODA over the past period, which has made a positive contribution to Vietnam's socio-economic development.
In order to further develop the potential and strengths of both countries and contribute to elevating the relationship in the future, the Prime Minister proposed that both sides promote exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level; strengthen cooperation activities, and enhance trade and investment exchanges.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the Austrian Parliament's ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and the European Commission's lifting of the IUU yellow card on Vietnamese seafood would create favorable conditions for economic cooperation between Vietnam and the EU in general, and between Vietnam and Austria in particular.
Given Austria's strengths in the field of railway transport, both sides can identify this as a promising area for future cooperation, focusing on leveraging preferential funding, technology transfer, and human resource training.
Furthermore, both sides need to coordinate closely, strengthen exchanges, and expand cooperation in the fields of education and training, cultural and artistic exchanges, as well as cooperate to address global challenges such as responding to climate change, and organize events to promote culture to the public of both countries in order to strengthen the friendly relations between the two nations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Vietnam, Philipp Agathonos. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)
Ambassador Philipp Agathonos expressed his honor to take on the new assignment, sharing his impressions of Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements and its role in the region.
Affirming that Vietnam is an important partner of Austria in Southeast Asia, Ambassador Philipp Agathonos expressed his determination and commitment to making every effort to promote bilateral relations to become increasingly deeper and more effective, considering this as the direction and focus of his term in Vietnam.
Regarding trade and investment cooperation, Ambassador Philipp Agathonos highly appreciated the directives of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Roundtable with major European corporations and businesses (March 2, 2025) aimed at making Vietnam a destination for long-term production, business, and investment by EU enterprises in the region.
The ambassador stated that, in addition to traditional areas of cooperation, the Austrian Embassy will work closely with Vietnamese partners to identify new areas of potential cooperation, particularly in science and technology, education and training, cybersecurity, nursing, and railway infrastructure.
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