Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomes his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan to the event. (Photo: VNA)Singapore (VNA) – TheVietnamese Embassy in Singapore on July 17 held a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversaryof the establishment of the Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic relations (1973-2023) and 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership (2013-2023).
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son reviewed the history of the relations and the achievements recorded in the past 50 years, stressing that the relationship is developing well and that theestablishment of their strategic partnership in 2013 has brought thetwo countries’ bilateral relations to a new height.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)The FM emphasised that in the face of complicated developments in the region and theworld, Vietnam and Singapore should continue to promote cooperation at regionaland international forums, striving for a stronger and more prosperous ASEAN.Vietnam wishes to continue to expand and deepen the strategicpartnership, not only for the benefit of the two peoples but also to contributeto peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in the regional and in the world.
Forhis part, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnanemphasised the strong political ties between the two countries. High-ranking leadersof the two countries meet regularly, PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh had a successful official visit to Singapore inFebruary 2023 and Singaporean PM LeeHsien Loong will soon pay a visit to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob also had a meetingwith President Vo Van Thuong last May.
Regardingeconomy, Minister Vivian Balakrishnan assessed that Vietnam has always beenone of the leading in Asia. Singaporean businesses are confident inVietnam's long-term economic development prospects and from 2020, Singapore isone of the leading sources of foreign investment in Vietnam.
He expressed his hope that the two sides will continue toconsolidate the achievements made in the past 50 years to serve as a foundationfor cooperation in the next 50 years.
AssociateProfessor Bilveer Singh from the National University of Singapore said thatVietnam and Singapore are two very special countries in Southeast Asia. Despitethe ups and downs, they have found similarities in political,economic and especially security fields./.
