Delegates attending the launching ceremony (Photo: baoquocte.vn)
Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Do Minh Hung briefed participants on the two nations’ trade situation and prospects.
According to the ambassador, despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bilateral relations in general and the trade ties in particular have developed strongly, with trade turnover hitting 1.8 billion USD, a rise from 1.6 billion USD of 2020, and 1.2 billion USD of 2019.
Vietnam is now the largest trade partner of Israel in Southeast Asia, he emphasized.
Emphasizing the significance of opening the Israel-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, Ambassador Do Minh Hung shared the desire of many Vietnamese businesses to access Israel’s high-tech and start-up market, and affirmed that this is a new impetus for bilateral economic relations.
According to him, the two countries are trying to conclude negotiations on the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) to boost bilateral trade.
Einat Halevi Levin, President of the Israel-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, said that the decision to set up the chamber was prompted by the huge cooperation potential and rapid trade growth between the two countries.
The chamber will provide support for the two business communities with a goal of doubling the two-way trade value, she said, adding that it has received significant assistance from the Israeli Government.
Representatives from Israeli enterprises showed their interest in investing in Vietnam, a nearly 100-million-consumer market, and their hope to import all kinds of commodities, from machinery and automobiles to food, from Vietnam./.