Vietnam, Germany promote strategic partnership

The Vietnamese leader was welcomed with a 21-gun salute at Tegel Airport along with high-ranking German officials, Vietnamese Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung, and members of the Vietnamese community living in Germany. The visit, the first by a Vietnamese President since Germany was reunified in 1990, marks 40 years of bilateral diplomatic ties.

State President Sang was welcomed at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday morning President Truong Tan Sang thanked Joachim Gauckfor his welcome.

The two presidents expressed pleasure at the rapid development of the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership and agreed that the two countries have not only become strategic partners but also close friends. They agreed to increase exchanges and implement bilateral ties to create new momentum in the strategic partnership.

President Truong Tan Sang and German President Joachim Gaucksaid they were delighted with progress in bilateral trade and investment ties. They said the two countries enjoy favourable conditions to boost bilateral trade to between 15 and 20 billion USD by 2020 and German investment in Vietnam to 5 billion USD in the near future. They agreed to maintain Germany’s top place among Vietnam’s economic partners, especially when the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement nears ratification. They also agreed to provide conditions for businesses from both countries to prosper.

The two leaders praised bilateral co-operation at multilateral forums. They exchanged views on Chinese moves to artificially increase the size of islands in the East Sea and issue related to stability, peace, security and safety of navigation and aviation in the sea. The German president stressed the importance to settle disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in line with international law.