Stockholm (VNA) – Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc and his spouse along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation visitedthe Vietnamese Embassy staff and expatriates in Sweden upon their arrival inStockholm on May 26.
The PM expressed his pleasure to visit Swedenon the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Sweden diplomaticties.
He stressed that the Vietnamese Party and peoplealways bear in mind the valuable assistance of Sweden in the most difficulttime of the resistance war for national independence.
Though Sweden’s investment in Vietnam remainsmodest, investors from the Scandinavian country are running projects using worldleading modern technology in information technology and telecommunication, thePM said.
Besides, Sweden has actively supported Vietnamin green development, environmental protection, education and culture, headded.
He highly evaluated the working outcomes of theVietnamese Embassy in Sweden in the fields of external affairs and citizenprotection.
He praised the embassy for promoting tradebetween the two countries and Sweden’s investment activities in Vietnam.
The PM informed the overseas Vietnamese aboutVietnam’s socio-economic situation and asked them to make more contributions tothe cause of national building and development
He expressed the hope that the OVs will buildon their achievements and integrate better in the host society.
Ambassador Doan Thi Phuong Dung said Sweden hasspecial traditional friendship with Vietnam and it was the first westerncountry to recognise and establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam on January 11,1969.
She reported to the PM that the bilateralrelations have shifted from development aid to partnership, adding that the twocountries have regularly exchanged high-level delegations with the most recentvisit to Vietnam by Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria Ingrid Alice Desiree.
The bilateral trade has grown steadily while thenumber of Swedish tourists to Vietnam has increased in recent years, accordingto the Ambassador.
She added that the embassy has always maintainedclose relations with the overseas Vietnamese community in Sweden with over18,000 living, studying and working across the Swedish regions.
There are dozens of large Vietnamese enterprisesand hundreds of other stores and business establishments in Sweden, she said.
Representatives of the overseas Vietnamesecommunity shared with the PM about their connection activities, and cooperationdevelopment between Vietnamese and Swedish agencies and organisations in thefields of education, scientific research, culture and business.
Vietnamese associations have opened manyVietnamese language classes and held a number of activities to connect overseasVietnamese, they said, adding that they hope the Party and State will make it easier for overseas Vietnamese to regainVietnamese citizenship, and to apply for land and housing ownership in Vietnam.-VNA