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| Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung receives Argentine Ambassador Marcos Bednarski (Photo: thanhuytphcm.vn) |
He made these remarks during a meeting on November 25 with Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam Marcos Bednarski.
During the meeting, Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Dung welcomed Ambassador Bednarski’s assignment to Vietnam and his visit to Ho Chi Minh City at the start of his tenure, reflecting Argentina's interest in the city. The visit aims to explore and promote specific opportunities for cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Argentina.
Highlighting the bilateral relationship, Mr. Dung noted that Vietnam and Argentina established diplomatic ties in 1973 and upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2010. This relationship has been maintained and strengthened through numerous high-level visits and exchanges. The two nations have developed several cooperation frameworks, including the Intergovernmental Committee and agreements on trade, investment, and collaboration in agriculture, information technology and education.
Regarding trade, Vice Chairman Dung noted that bilateral trade volume has consistently risen, from USD316 million in 2007 to USD4.8 billion in 2022. Vietnam is Argentina's sixth-largest trade partner, its fifth-largest export market globally, and a key partner in South-South cooperation in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Argentina is Vietnam's third-largest trade partner in Latin America.
In the economic sphere, Argentina is one of Ho Chi Minh City's four major import-export markets in the region, alongside Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Argentina currently has four direct investment projects in the city, with total capital of USD37,820, ranking 101st among 120 countries and territories investing in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ambassador Marcos Bednarski shared that this was his first visit to Ho Chi Minh City. He stated that his main mission is to continue expanding relations between the two countries and between the city and Argentina. Marking 50 years of diplomatic relations last year, Vietnam is now Argentina's third-largest market.
The ambassador noted that many Argentine businesses are present in Ho Chi Minh City, with others eager to invest. Argentina is focusing on economic development and hopes to establish more specific partnerships, particularly in rice production, dairy farming and processing dairy products.
Ambassador Bednarski also announced the upcoming “Tango Festival” in Ho Chi Minh City on November 28, aimed at strengthening cultural exchanges between the two nations. Additionally, he proposed accelerating the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and Argentina to expand bilateral trade relations./.