At the celebration (Photo: VNA)Madrid (VNA) – The Vietnam Embassy in Spainhas held a ceremony to mark Vietnam’s 74th National Day and the 10thanniversary of the Vietnam – Spain strategic partnership.
The event gathered 400 guests who are representatives ofSpanish public agencies and enterprises, as well as of foreign embassies and theVietnamese community in Spain.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Spain NgoTien Dung reviewed Vietnam’s historical path to independence and reform, whichhas turned it into a country of political stability, dynamic economy, andinternational integration.
He also highlighted Vietnam’s upcoming positions as theChair of ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent of the UN Security Council for the2020-2021 tenure.
The diplomat stated Spain, the first strategic partner ofVietnam in Europe, has always been the country’s important partner in the EUfor years.
Bilateral trade grew annually at a growth rate of more than15 percent in 17 years to reach 3.6 billion USD in 2018. Last year, 80,000Spanish tourists visited Vietnam. These figures and several frame cooperationagreements signed between the countries will help deepen their engagementsparticularly in trade-investment, energy, and infrastructure.
Xiana Margarida Méndez Bértolo, State Secretary for Trade atthe Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, affirmed Spain values theenhancement of its comprehensive collaboration with Vietnam.
Stressing that Vietnam is an important partner of Spain inASEAN, she hoped the early ratification of the free trade and investmentprotection agreements signed between the EU and Vietnam in June will createfavourable conditions for the two nations to expand their economic and investmentties across fields.
The ceremony featured a fashion show of Vietnamesetraditional long dress Ao Dai, a photo exhibition and film screening, andVietnamese food./.
VNA
