“We are enjoying excellent bilateral relations at this period, a period richer in opportunities than any other in the history of our two countries. We are ready to grasp those opportunities together, as the important agreements signed today confirm”. The excellent health of the bilateral relationships was underscored by Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi as he opened the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Italian-Vietnamese diplomatic relations. The event took place at the Auditorium di Roma and was accompanied by a music and dance performance entitled “The Colours of Vietnam”.
Italy the first European Community country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam
Minister Terzi reminded those present that “on 23 March 1973 Italy was the first European Community country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam”. He underscored Italy’s great interest, in both the private and public sectors, in Vietnam, which he described as a country characterised by “youth and the earnest spirit of a country in the midst of transformation”. Commenting on the agreements signed in Rome with the Vietnamese delegation, Terzi underscored that “the interest of Italian investors has been sparked by Vietnam’s high growth rates and its entry to the World Trade Organisation”. At the same time, he added, “Hanoi’s interest in the Italian business world, and especially in our small and medium-sized enterprises, has encouraged us to offer our expertise to Vietnam”.
Consulate General to open in Ho Chi Min City
Italy and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement, an executive protocol on education, a letter of intent to set up an Italian-Vietnamese centre of excellence for training, and a Memorandum of Cooperation in the defence sector. Minister Terzi also mentioned the memorandum implementing the Casa Italia initiative – a new centre, to be based in Hanoi, that “responds to the Vietnamese public’s great demand for all things Italian”. Terzi also announced that Italy will be opening a Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Vietnamese Foreign Minister, Pham Binh Minh, reminded the audience of the “valuable support” shown by Rome 40 years ago for “the Vietnamese people’s desire for freedom and independence”. He underscored that Italy is now “a key partner in Europe and in the world” in light of a relationship that is destined to become even stronger “in a spirit of equality and mutual interests”. Pham Binh Minh was accompanying the Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, who also met the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, during his visit to Italy.