Hanoi (VNA) - Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro cited ItalianPresident Sergio Mattarella's words as saying that the relationship between the twocountries “strongly rooted inhistory” while granting an interview to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasionof the 50th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties(March 23, 1973 - 2023).

The following is the full text of the interview.

Reporter: How do youevaluate the relations between Vietnam and Italy since the establishment of thebilateral diplomatic ties 50 years ago, especially since the upgrading of therelationship to a strategic partnership in January 2013?

Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: I would use the wordsof the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, who has justreleased a warm message of congratulations on the 50th anniversaryof Italy – Vietnam diplomatic relations. President Mattarella congratulate thetwo countries for their relationship, “strongly rooted in history” and at thesame time “directed with confidence towards the future”. These words expressvery well the idea that the 50th anniversary is not only a greatachievement, considering the long journey that both Countries have made sincethe seventies, but also a platform to let our friendship grow further and facetogether the great global challenges, like climate change in particular.

President Mattarellaalso underlined that the institution in 2013 of the bilateral strategicpartnership has further expanded the scope of our cooperation providing a more concreteapproach and new opportunities for growth, development and mutual understandingfor our countries.

Reporter: What areprospects for the Vietnam-Italy cooperation? What should the two countries doto further promote their relations?

Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: Italy and Vietnam canintensify the exchange of delegations: high level visits, business forums,cultural exhibitions, and joint academic research.

Secondly, the two countries should further promote the flow of trade and investments. Vietnam isthe first trade partner for Italy in the ASEAN region, with 6.2 billion eurosof exchanges in goods and services. The strength of our respective economies andtheir level of integration in the global value chain provide room for furthergrowing, especially in high tech sectors and advanced technology.

Thirdly, we shouldincrease the tourism flows in both directions, as discussed recently during the embassy’s presentation of the Ryder Cup, the most important international golftournament that will take place in Rome in September this year.

Finally, Italy andVietnam are members respectively of the EU and ASEAN. The two countries should increasinglygive a regional perspective to their relations. I would like to recall thatItaly became a development partner of ASEAN in 2020, during the Vietnam’sPresidency of the South East Asia Organisation. The EU and Vietnam, on theirside, enjoy an intense and articulated relation. These regional connections addnew opportunities to our bilateral friendship.    

Reporter: The EU-VietnamFree Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has opened up many opportunities for Vietnameseand Italian businesses. Do you have any recommendations for the two countriesto utilise such opportunities to boost their trade and investment ties?

Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: The EVFTA is one ofthe most ambitious free trade agreements ever signed by the EU. The agreementprogressively eliminates almost all duties and tariffs, both for goods and services.Moreover, several provisions cover crucial domains such as rules of origin,non-tariff barriers, public procurement, labour conditions and environmentalstandards.

Italy and Vietnam arecommitted to implement the EVFTA provisions in full and according to theschedule. In particular, we are working closely with the EU to ensure a greateraccess of our products and services to the Vietnamese market, notably inpharmaceutical and agrifood. On the other end, Italy is a significant importerof many Vietnamese products, from coffee to seafood, from garments toelectrical equipment. With the entry into force of the EVFTA, these productshave to comply with EU regulatory and quality standards in order to access theEuropean market. Italy has a lot to offer to Vietnamese businesses to improvethe quality and safety standards of their products.

Reporter: What are majorevents in the series of activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of thebilateral diplomatic ties this year?

Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: The Embassy issupporting the Saigon Philarmonic Orchestra in setting up the first Operaproduction after several decades. The “Cavalleria Rusticana”, by famouscomposer Pietro Mascagni, will be performed at the Hanoi Opera House on April 15-16. This would be one of the highlights of our program, which also includesan exhibition on industrial manufacturing, a show of contemporary ballet by theItalian company “Artemis Danza” and the Italian film festival. Our programme is aliving plan and we disclose events and initiatives as we develop them with ourpartners in Italy and Vietnam.