(VOVWORLD) -President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas on Tuesday began an official visit to Vietnam. The visit is a high-level parliamentary diplomatic activity between the two countries following the COVID-19 pandemic.
 President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas (Photo: palament.ch) |
Mr. Candinas’s visit aims to strengthen the fine relationship between Vietnam and Switzerland and their legislative organizations.
Strong bilateral relations
Since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1971, Vietnam-Switzerland relations have developed strongly in politics, economics, technical assistance, trade, investment, research, science, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Regular high-level exchanges between the two countries have paved the way for steadily increasing trade and investment.
Last year, Swiss direct investment in Vietnam totaled nearly 2.2 billion USD. More than 100 Swiss companies are operating in Vietnam. Since 1991, when Switzerland became a technical and economic development cooperation partner of Vietnam, the Swiss Government has given Vietnam approximately 670 million USD for socio-economic development.
Vietnam, as a priority country in Switzerland's economic development cooperation program, received a technical support package worth 78.4 million USD for the 2021-2024 period. Since 2020 Switzerland and Vietnam have jointly sponsored scientific research through the Vietnam National Fund for Science and Technology Development. The second phase of this cooperation program is scheduled to begin this autumn. The two sides are accelerating negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association.
 Former Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Ivo Sieber (Photo: Swiss Embassy in Vietnam) |
Former Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Ivo Sieber said: "There is potential for Vietnam and Switzerland to cooperate. Switzerland is one of the biggest European investor in Vietnam. More than 100 Swiss companies are investing in Vietnam, providing job opportunities for about 20,000 people. So it's a healthy relationship with potential to grow. I hope the negotiation of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which has been going for quite a long time, will actually come to an early conclusion very soon."
Legislative organizations’ role
High-level exchanges between the two countries’ legislative bodies have played a very important role in promoting bilateral cooperation. The Vietnamese National Assembly and the Swiss Parliament have closely coordinated at multilateral parliamentary forums, such as the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF).
The visit to Vietnam of the President and two Vice Presidents of the Swiss National Council demonstrates Switzerland’s appreciation for Vietnam and its National Assembly. The two sides will discuss specific measures to further strengthen parliamentary diplomatic cooperation, delegation exchanges, and cooperation at multilateral forums such as the IPU and APF.
The two sides will continue their mutual support on shared concerns, and emphasize the role of international law and the United Nations in settling disputes through peaceful means. They will also discuss measures to enhance economic and trade cooperation and finalize negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area, which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
In February the Swiss government ratified the Southeast Asia Strategy for the 2023-2026 period, which considers Vietnam the most dynamic economy in the region and an increasingly important partner of Switzerland. President Candinas’s visit to Vietnam strengthens the cooperative relationship while also helping to realize Switzerland’s Southeast Asia Strategy.