The relationship between Italy and Vietnam dates from a period when the Vietnamese people were shaking off the colonial burden and subsequently had to face a long and extremely costly conflict: costly in both human and social terms. In those years, a strong sense of solidarity for Vietnam grew throughout Italian society.
The strength of that bond has lasted through the years, to our own day. Italy was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, on 23 March 1973. Our country took on a leading role, including in Development Cooperation initiatives. We were one of the first nations to implement concrete assistance programmes and make an active contribution to the discussions in the European Union that gave the green light for a Community presence in Vietnam.
We are now celebrating the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations between Italy and Vietnam. A relationship characterised by a solid foundation of mutual goodwill, to which has been added a special political focus on developing a privileged dialogue. This was the foundation for the common interest nurtured by Italy and Vietnam for a substantial step change in bilateral relations, to be implemented through the instrument of strategic partnership.
With a series of high-level institutional visits to Italy in 2012, Vietnam has demonstrated that it shares our keen expectations of taking our bilateral relations to a higher level, as I myself demonstrated during my visit to the country last March. Prime Minister Monti reiterated the point to Prime Minister Dung, during their talks in the margins of the 9th ASEM Summit in November 2012. The Strategic Partnership agreement envisages that the political dialogue and economic cooperation will be placed on an institutional footing; collaboration will be increased in the defence and security sector; cultural and scientific relations will be intensified and Italy’s commitment to development assistance will be confirmed.
The agreement is an important instrument, the signing of which, during the State Visit by the Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party in late January, will be a turning point in our bilateral relationship.
From a political perspective, the Partnership will enable us to establish forms of structured dialogue that will increase the efficacy of existing collaboration between our two countries in the various international fora, most notably the United Nations. Greater synergies will be possible on issues of mutual interest directly concerning international peace and stability, as will a substantial dialogue in the sphere of defence and security with a view to developing joint actions. The strategic partnership will also pave the way for an increase in the number of visits at the institutional level.
In economic terms, numerous sectors offer collaboration potential between Italy and Vietnam. Growth prospects for products bearing the “Made in Italy” brand are excellent. The Strategic Partnership could also – and to an even greater extent – make a real difference on the investment front. In recent years, Italian investment in Vietnam has increased considerably but there is room for further growth, if we consider that Italy is the second manufacturing country in Europe. The last few years have seen a positive trend in trade, which rose from 1,474 euros in 2010 to 1,828 million in 2011. In the first half of 2012 alone, trade reached 1,078 million euros, an increase of 27.7% on the same period in 2011.
Vietnam has been experiencing major development for several years now. The country is now looking to new and ambitious targets: having attained the status of average-income country, it has now embarked on a crucial transition to more advanced levels of modernisation and industrialisation. It is in this period that, in the sectors of greatest mutual interest, Italy can offer Vietnam an input of know-how and technological excellence that are recognised the world over.
Cooperation projects launched in the past have shown that one of the key spheres for collaboration could be the development of the country’s industrial fabric. The UNIDO project funded by Italy to support small and medium-sized Vietnamese enterprises has highlighted the strategic value of creating stronger links between our SMEs and those of Vietnam, especially in the manufacturing sector. Starting from Vietnam and then through the network of regional free trade agreements, integration of this nature could enable our enterprises to reach a market of over 600 million people.
Italy and Vietnam can do much within the framework of the regional organisations to which each belongs. Most notably, we fully support the creation of stronger relations between the European Union and Vietnam. The fact that we have signed an innovative Partnership and Cooperation agreement demonstrates the mutual focus on deepening the political dialogue and consolidating relations. The free trade agreement currently being negotiated by the EU and Vietnam will be a mutually advantageous instrument, given that it will boost trade and the flow of investments. Italy intends to go on taking an active part in the talks on these agreements.
At the regional level, Vietnam is carving out a role as one of the leading countries in ASEAN. We are particularly interested in current developments within the Association and its progressive consolidation at the institutional level, and in the efforts to establish an Asian Community before the end of 2015. The EU-ASEAN dialogue is an important instrument in the partnership between Europe and Asia, which deserves to be strengthened on global issues such as food security, natural disasters, climate change, and the battle against crime and piracy.
Italy and Vietnam are preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. The celebrations will include a rich programme of cultural and economic promotion initiatives in both countries: the “Year of Italy in Vietnam” and the “Year of Vietnam in Italy”.
The state visit by the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam, whom President Napolitano and the Italian Government are delighted to welcome to Rome in this month of January 2012, will open the celebrations of 40 years of friendship and will open up new horizons of opportunities for collaboration between our two countries. Resting on these solid foundations, the two Governments can work to strengthen, build and enrich their strategic relationship.
