Greece, Viet Nam bolster co-operation
22 / 10 / 2008
Greek President Karolos Papoulias attended a business forum between Viet Nam and Greece here yesterday.
The function is expected to create momentum for further development of economic and commercial relations.
Addressing the forum, which drew representatives from nearly 200 Greek and Vietnamese businesses, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister, Petros Doukas said shipbuilding, infrastructure development and insurance were promising [...]
Greek President Karolos Papoulias attended a business forum between Viet Nam and Greece here yesterday.
The function is expected to create momentum for further development of economic and commercial relations.
Addressing the forum, which drew representatives from nearly 200 Greek and Vietnamese businesses, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister, Petros Doukas said shipbuilding, infrastructure development and insurance were promising areas for bilateral development. Co-operation in the fields of textiles and garments, IT, electronics, and pharmaceuticals were also highlighted.
“Bilateral economic co-operation is steadily and continuously developing, but is obviously lagging behind the potential of our two countries, despite good and amirable relations,” said Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Eleftherios Kourtalis.
He said he believed that the event would lay the foundations for launching a co-ordinated effort to fill the existing information gap. “The geographic distance separating our countries should not be a hindrance nowadays,” he noted.
Greek Business Council Chairman Konstantinos Antonopoulos said that there were many business opportunities for Greek investors in Viet Nam, as the Vietnamese economy was well on the way to a multi-sector model operating according to market mechanisms and state regulations.
As a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said Viet Nam would be a gateway for Greek enterprises to access one of the biggest markets in the world, with a population of 600 million.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh said Greece was a potential partner of Viet Nam and the two economies complemented each other.
Government support and the participation of businesses in Viet Nam and Greece will help develop economic co-operation in sea transport, tourism and also develop cultural ties, Vinh said.
Earlier, a memorandum of understanding on modernising the lottery system in HCM City was inked between the city’s Lottery Company and Greece’s Intralot SA Group during a trip by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet to Greece in June.
Chairman Antonopoulos hoped that more Greek companies would follow this path and find their way to the promising Vietnamese market, so as to contribute to the improvement of the two countries’ bilateral economic relations.
During the event, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vice Chairman, Doan Duy Khuong, urged Vietnamese and Greek businesses to actively exploit the untapped potential in the two nations’ economic ties.
Khuong assured the Greek businessmen his chamber would make efforts to support the two business communities and foster trade and investment ties.
Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Greece reached US$90 million last year and $82 million of the sum came from Vietnamese exports including seafood, pepper, cashew, coffee, textiles, garments, footwear and wooden goods.
Charitable activities
The Greek President’s wife, May Papoulias, attended a ceremony held in Ha Noi yesterday to present 100 wheelchairs to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, 40,000 euros to a fund in support of Agent Orange (AO) victims set up by the Vietnam News Agency; 5,000 euros to the Viet Nam Assistance for the Handicapped Organisation; and 5,000 euros to a charitable fund set up by the Quan doi Nhan dan newspaper.
She also visited and presented gifts to AO victims in Hoa Binh Village in Thanh Xuan District on Monday. Representatives from the Viet Nam News Agency’s fund for AO victims also presented gifts to the village. In 2007, the fund received 20,000 euros from the Greek Government and it has so far provided aid worth more than VND1 billion ($62,500) to AO victims across the country. — VNS
22 / 10 / 2008 | |
An independent movement of free thinkers sharing the same dream: a better world inspired by the Hellenic ideals that gave birth to civilizations: Freedom, Direct Democracy, Humanism, Reason, Justice, and the Pursuit of Excellence.
