Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Ngo Minh Chau speaks at the reception held by the Consulate General of Kuwait in HCM City on February 24. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City expects that Kuwait will become a gateway for itsbusinesses to further strengthen economic and trade ties with the Gulfand Middle East countries, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Ngo Minh Chau has said.
Speaking at areception held by the Consulate General of Kuwait in HCM City on February 24 to mark the 62nd anniversary of Independence Day and the 32nd anniversaryof the Liberation of the State of Kuwait, Chau emphaised that Vietnam hasalways considered Kuwait as one of the most important partners in the MiddleEast in general and the Gulf in particular.
Since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976, Vietnam andKuwait have constantly strengthened their relations based on mutualunderstanding and trust, for peace and development of the two nations, Chausaid.
In addition to goodpolitical relations, the friendly cooperation between the two countries in thefields of economy, education, and training is expanding,meeting the needs and aspirations of their people, he said.
HCM City wants to step up cooperation programmes with Kuwait City,especially in the fields where Kuwait City has strengths including urbanplanning and smart cities, Chau added.
Ali Alsaihan,Acting Consul General of Kuwait in HCM City, said thateconomic cooperation and bilateral trade are playing an important role innarrowing the geographical gap between the two peoples.
Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,bilateral trade between the two countries has increased continuously year byyear, reaching over 3.23 billion USD in 2020, 4.78 billion USD in 2021 and morethan 6.64 billion USD in 2022, making Kuwait one of the largest tradingpartners of Vietnam in the Middle East, he said.
The diplomat believed thatthe cooperation outcomes the two countries have achieved in the past time are an importantfoundation for Kuwait and Vietnam, including HCM City, to obtain greater successes in the future.
He also expressedhis desire and called on Vietnamese entrepreneurs and companies to invest indevelopment projects in Kuwait to increase two-way trade./.
