He made the statement in a speech at a ceremony to mark the 29th anniversary of Day of German Unity (October 3) held by the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
In his speech, Hoan laid stress on the comprehensive and effective cooperative ties and sound friendship between the two countries in the past time, saying Vietnam always sees Germany as its trustworthy and important trade partner in Europe.
On the basis of their fruitful relations, both sides will continue enhancing all-round cooperation, especially in trade, and work together to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the bilateral relations in 2020, he said.
The HCM City leader also highlighted the Southern hub has made positive contribution to the bilateral relations. Last year, trade revenue between the city and Germany reached 2 billion USD, or one fifth of the Vietnam-Germany trade revenue.
Germany is running 151 investment projects in HCM City with many operating in areas of the city’s priority like manufacturing, processing, science and technology, transport and warehouse. The Vietnamese city is housing many important projects which are seen as milestones in the bilateral relations, including the German House, Metro Line No.2, and the International German School.
In addition, the city has carried out a wide range of activities to enhance cooperation with German localities like Frankfurt city and Thuringen state, he added.
German General Consul Josefine Wallat, for her part, expressed her delight over the sound Vietnam-Germany relations, saying 2020 will be an eventful year for both Vietnam and Germany as Vietnam will play the role as the ASEAN Chair, Germany will assume the presidency of the Council of the EU, and both sides are celebrating their 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties in the year.
The year will be an important time for both sides to boost their cooperation in various sectors, she said.
According to the German diplomat, as members of the UN Security Council in 2020, Vietnam and Germany should promote their roles and make concerted efforts for a better world, as well as work to ensure the enforcement of international laws and the exercise of freedom of trade and navigation based on international laws. Besides, they should enhance cooperative activities for regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
Source: VNA