Director General for Asia-Pacific at the Mexican Foreign Ministry Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe made the remarks at a ceremony marking Vietnam’s 78th National Day (September 2, 1945-2023) on September 26 in Mexico City.
In his speech, the Mexican diplomat stated that late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts regarding international solidarity have been the foundation for building a strong friendship between Vietnam and Mexico over the past 48 years since the establishment of their official diplomatic relations in 1975. Although the two countries are geographically distant, they share core values, which cover international solidarity, national independence, freedom, and the happiness of their people.
Alfredo Femat Bañuelos, Chair of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee, noted that over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens have been treated by Vietnamese doctors at acupuncture centres named after Ho Chi Minh in Mexico.
The lawmaker, also Chairman of the Mexico-Vietnam friendship parliamentary group, underscored that apart from health care, the Mexico-Vietnam relations are progressing well across all aspects, with a strong focus on party, parliamentary, trade, and education-training cooperation.
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Hoanh Nam stated that Mexico is one of Vietnam's most important markets in the Latin American region. He called on Vietnamese and Mexican businesses to strengthen connections and leverage the advantages brought about by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which both countries are members.
Although bilateral trade reached over 10 billion USD in 2022, the two nations need to make further efforts to increase trade volume to match their potential and excellent political relationship, he went on.
The diplomat said as active and responsible members of the international community, Vietnam and Mexico, based on their reliable partnership, share many core values, common interests, and strategic concerns in the regional and global context towards cooperation, stability, peace, and development.
