Viet Nam, Israel mark 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties

The event drew the attendance of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, and Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Ofir Akunis.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung said that the bilateral ties have been flourishing in all fields.   

He said leaders of the two countries have made mutual visits and held working sessions to build frameworks to facilitate the development of bilateral relations in the fields of politics, economy, trade, investment, smart agriculture, and high technology.

He was convinced that the Viet Nam - Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) which will soon be signed would open up abundant opportunities for economic and investment coooperation between the two countries and promote tourism development and faciliate people-to-people exchanges. 

He pledged to promote joint projects on innovative research, startup ecosystem and technology transfer.

In reply, Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Ofir Akunis assessed that the bilateral ties have grown “stronger than ever”.  

Mr. Ofir Akunis congratulated Viet Nam on becoming the first country in the Southeast Asian region to sign an FTA with Israel. The deal is expected to bring about substantial benefits for the bilatral ties. 

Israel currently ranks third in the list of Viet Nam's export markets in West Asia and is Viet Nam's fifth largest trading partner, with two-way trade hitting US$2.2 billion last year.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Tran and his entourage visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel and met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in the Middle East country./.