(VOV) - A meeting was held at the Hanoi Opera House on May 16 to mark the 35th anniversary of Vietnam-Spain diplomatic ties.
At the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga praised the fine development of relations between the two countries in all fields, especially since the two countries established a strategic partnership towards the future during former President Nguyen Minh Triet’s visit to Spain in 2009.
Spain is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner, with two-way trade turnover growth of 15-20 percent per year. Spanish-funded projects for poverty reduction and health care have contributed to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, Nga said.
For his part, Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam, Fernando Curcio Ruigomez, spoke highly of cooperative programs between the two countries which help contribute to fostering bilateral ties.
Since 1990, Spain has actively supported Vietnam in normalizing ties with international financial and monetary organizations and tightening ties with the EU. The two countries have exchanged a number of visits to discuss measures to promote cooperative ties.
Spain has 17 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth US$21 milion in Vietnam.
Vietnam has so far disbursed US$98 million out of US$315 million Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by Spain.
The two countries have signed many bilateral agreements, including a framework agreement on cooperation, a tourism cooperation project, a double taxation avoidance agreement, a joint action program between Vietnamese and Spanish Governments and a visa exemption for diplomat passport holder agreement.