Message on a new journey from Vienna

President Vo Van Thuong and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, arrived in Vienna, Austria, on a sunny afternoon. Austria and Europe are in the summer days with high temperatures, but the fresh breezes help people not feel hot.

This is the first visit to the Republic of Austria by a Vietnamese President in the past 15 years, so this is an official visit with an important mission to continue to deeply implement the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress on independence, self-reliance, peace , friendship, cooperation and development; promote and deepen bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Austria, through Austria to promote Vietnam-EU relations and contribute to promoting ASEAN-EU relations.

Many people consider Vienna as a pearl in the heart of Europe and it is considered one of the most livable cities in the world. Mentioning Vienna is immediately mentioning a famous place for music , with many theaters, especially the Vienna State Opera House which has become a great symbol of culture and art. Vienna is also famous as a city of splendid cafes or also known as "coffee houses" with their own architectural style, but always highlighting the luxury and romance in the European aristocratic style.

Coming to the Republic of Austria means coming to a huge treasure trove of culture, architecture, and relics. We also know the thousand-year-old ancient village of Hallstatt, a famous place, on the "must-see" list of many people when coming to Austria. We also know the city of Salzburg located in the center of Austria, close to the German border, the hometown of the genius composer Mozart.

This place is not only the cradle of classical music, but also possesses many outstanding attractions, such as the ancient town fortress Altstadt... During their days in Austria, each member of the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation always deeply felt about a country that always seems to preserve the ancient beauty of time even though the flow of life keeps tirelessly sweeping it away...

The Republic of Austria was one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam (in 1972). After more than 50 years, Vietnam-Austria relations have been developing well in many fields. For many years, Austria has always been in the top 10 export markets of Vietnam in Europe. Vietnam is an important trade partner of Austria in Southeast Asia.

Bilateral trade in 2022 will reach 2.79 billion USD. Austria's investment in Vietnam is currently about 148 million USD (ranked 44th out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam) and there are about 60 Austrian enterprises operating in Vietnam. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg affirmed that, with the foundation of good traditional friendship, the Austrian Government always considers Vietnam a priority partner in the region and wishes to expand cooperation with Vietnam in all fields. The Austrian Government and business community are very interested in and wish to cooperate substantially and effectively with Vietnamese partners. And that spirit is clearly and deeply demonstrated from the content and results of the work of President Vo Van Thuong with the leaders of the Republic of Austria.

Deeply understanding the country's strengths as well as the areas in which Vietnam needs support to develop more strongly, President Vo Van Thuong discussed, exchanged and highly agreed that the two countries Vietnam and the Republic of Austria will focus on implementing in practice many specific solutions and tasks to promote cooperation in areas where the two countries have strengths and Vietnam has needs.

In addition, expanding cooperation in new areas with much potential that needs to be further exploited, such as national defense and security, e-commerce, labor and vocational training, renewable energy to develop a green economy, respond to climate change, infrastructure, new technology, high technology, chip manufacturing, semiconductors, waste treatment, smart agriculture, etc.

Wishing that Vietnam will have more resources and favorable conditions to continue developing the country's economy, during the talks, President Vo Van Thuong asked the Republic of Austria to effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), urge other EU countries to soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and support the European Commission (EC) to remove the IUU yellow card on Vietnam's seafood exports. In addition, the Republic of Austria continues to put Vietnam on the list of countries prioritized to receive Austrian ODA and has preferential policies, especially projects on health, vocational training environment, etc.

The opinions and proposals of President Vo Van Thuong have received the agreement, support and high consensus of the highest leaders of the Republic of Austria. The President of the Republic of Austria agreed with the President to continue implementing specific tasks to promote cooperation between the two countries, focusing on issues such as ODA loan programs, economic cooperation, investment, vocational training, etc.

Austrian Senate President Claudia Arpa hopes that the two sides will increase the exchange of delegations at all levels to increase political trust, facilitate bilateral cooperation, and closely coordinate at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums. She hopes that Vietnam will act as an effective bridge to promote cooperation between the Austrian Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

One of the highlights of President Vo Van Thuong and his wife’s visit to Austria was a warm and friendly meeting with the Vietnamese community in Austria. Currently, there are about 6,000 Vietnamese people living, working and studying in the Republic of Austria and they have always been highly appreciated by the local government for their positive and practical contributions over the years.

President Vo Van Thuong and his wife took the time to meet, inquire about their lives and listen to their opinions and aspirations. From there, the President hopes that overseas Vietnamese in Austria in particular and Europe in general will continue to unite, join hands and hearts to build a strong community, contributing to the development of their homeland and country...

After more than 50 years (1972-2023), the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Austria are developing positively in many fields, especially politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, development cooperation, and culture. The official visit of President Vo Van Thuong and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the Republic of Austria this time has affirmed that the two countries still have much room to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, thereby agreeing on measures to promote cooperation in many potential fields in the coming time.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thong-diep-ve-mot-chang-duong-moi-tu-vienna-post764138.html

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