Hanoi (VNA) – The ongoing official visit to Croatia by Vietnamese Vice PresidentVo Thi Anh Xuan will help intensify bilateral relations in multiple fields, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary and Croatia Nguyen Thi Bich Thao has said.

Talkingto the press, the ambassador said since thediplomatic relationship was set up in 1994, this is the first high-rankingvisit to Croatia by a senior leader of Vietnam.

Thetrip from October 9 to 14 aims to affirm that Vietnam treasures the traditionalfriendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Croatia, help to strengthenbilateral ties, and discuss measures for reinforcing economic, trade andinvestment links and capitalising on the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA),she noted.

Thediplomat highlighted the development of the two countries’ political and diplomaticrelations in the recent past as seen in many delegation exchanges, their PrimeMinisters’ meetings within the frameworks of the Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM)events and United Nations sessions, close coordination and mutual support atmultilateral forums, and contributions of many initiatives to regional andinternational cooperation mechanisms.

Thetwo sides have also shown their friendship and mutual assistance amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Thao said, noting that Croatia donated 60,000 doses of AstraZenecavaccine to Vietnam in October 2021.

Sheaffirmed that the Vice President’s visit is an occasion for Vietnamese andCroatian leaders to affirm their willingness to enhance partnerships between thetwo countries, as well as between Vietnam and the EU. It is also a chance for theSoutheast Asian nation to persuade EU members to ratify the EU-Vietnam InvestmentProtection Agreement (EVIPA) and propose the European Commission to lift the “yellowcard” warning against Vietnam’s seafood.

Thaosaid Croatia is a tourism hub and also a logistics service centre in Europe. Meanwhile,Vietnam, which is strong at light industries such as garment, footwear,aquaculture, agricultural production and processing, and tourism, is completelycapable of meeting the Croatian market’s demand.

Bilateraltrade has recorded considerable expansion in recent years, with average annual growthof 14% between 2015 and 2021. It topped 116 million USD in 2019, surging 168.5%from 2014, and regained growth momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic to surpass90 million USD in 2021, including 52.6 million USD of Vietnamese exports - up 4.4%from a year earlier. Trade revenue reached 87.6 million USD in the first eightmonths of 2022, up 46.2% year on year, with Vietnamese exports up 76% to 58.1million USD.

Theambassador said the two countries’ leaders will also discuss the possibility ofcollaboration in such potential areas as navigation, shipbuilding, logistics, cleanenergy, tourism, and education - training.

Sheexpressed her belief that after this visit, bilateral relations will becomeeven stronger, especially in economy, trade, and investment./.