Standing shoulder to shoulder in cooperation

TIN LIÊN QUAN
	Gathering celebrates diplomatic ties with Spain
	PM: Vietnam wants to further trade, investment ties with Spain

This statement was made by Maria Jesus Figa Lopez-Palop, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Vietnam, during an interview with the World and Vietnam Report on the occasion of the National Day of Spain (October 12) and the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Spain (1977-2017).

Madam Ambassador, can you share your thoughts on the relationship between Vietnam and Spain over the past four decades, especially since the two countries officially became strategic partners in 2009?

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties on May 23, 1977, the two countries have witnessed a great deal of positive cooperation. After the establishment of the Spanish Embassy in Ha Noi in 1977, the two nations decided to further advance their relationship, and on the occasion of President Nguyen Minh Triet’s official visit to Spain in 2009, the Strategic Partnership Agreement was signed. Furthermore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia are considered the three most important ASEAN countries in Spain’s strategy for external action.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets Spanish Ambassador Maria Figa Lopez-Palop. (Photo: VNA)

Bilateral dialogues take place regularly, with four political consultations at the deputy minister level. Particularly, in 2006, the King and Queen of Spain paid an official state visit to Vietnam. We hope that more high-level visits will take place in the near future to further promote the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Spain.

Since 1996, Spain has provided significant development aid to Vietnam through a range of bilateral and multilateral organizations, with the total amount reaching 250 million Euros. Spain is very proud to have contributed to Vietnam’s outstanding economic, social and cultural development over recent years.

Trade relations between the two countries have also made critical steps forward. In 2016, the Spanish Secretary of State for Trade visited Vietnam and participated in the Multilateral Partnership Forum 2016. To date, Vietnam has been Spain’s key partner among ASEAN’s 10 member countries, with bilateral trade reaching 2.6 billion Euros in 2016.

Many well-known Spanish organisations have entered the Vietnamese market, including OHL, Repsol, Acciona, Indra, Airbus-Casa, Mango, Melia and Zara. In addition to these staples of Spanish industry, there are many more successful Spanish enterprises in Vietnam that have not yet reached similar levels of popularity. For example Premo, an advanced electronic components manufacturer for the automobile industry based in Da Nang, or Gentisa, which has valuable experience in construction and has joined consultations and cooperated closely with Vietnam in finishing the Lao Cai – Ha Noi highway.

Cooperation in tourism has also witnessed significant growth. Despite its geographical distance, in 2016, 58,000 Spanish tourists visited Vietnam, an increase of 30% compared to the previous year. During the first few months of 2017, this number posted a phenomenal increase of 123% over the same period last year. Spain is considered one of the countries with the most developed tourism industry in the world, hence we can share our extensive experience with Vietnam in enhancing tourism quality.

Culturally, there are a growing number of Vietnamese students studying in Spain. In 2016, the number of student visas issued by the Spanish embassy increased by 63% year-on-year. This figure continues its upward trend in 2017.

On the other hand, I would like to emphasise the growing interest in the Spanish language in Vietnam. Since the establishment of the Spanish Language Department at Hanoi University (in 2002), many students have graduated and some have gone on to become Spanish teachers. Thanks to the policies for language teachers of the Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development (AECID), Spanish is now taught at three other universities in Vietnam.

With all the great results achieved by both countries, what do you hope for Vietnam-Spain relations in the future? In what sector should we continue to boost cooperation?

Spain maintains its interest, devotion and commitment to working with Vietnam in order to deepen bilateral ties. For that reason, I think that the two sides need to review the Joint Action Program to identify areas of potential cooperation such as tourism, education, agriculture, security and defense.

The 'Vietnam Days in Spain' took place in Madrid on May 23, with special cultural activities within a framework of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh's visit to the European country to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

We are pleased with the results that the two countries have made in bilateral relations. In the past few months, the signing of treaties on extradition, transferring convicted persons, legal assistance on criminal matters and air transportation have created a solid legal framework, deepening the two countries’ cooperation.

We must continue to finalise the treaties and agreements that are still under negotiation, and in the meantime identify areas of common interest to sign new agreements, such as education, defense or tourism.

The bilateral trade figures show that we’re on track with the trend of global growth, however, we still need to work to adjust our trade balance, as Vietnam’s proportion of exports to Spain is higher than the reverse.

We hope the two countries will soon organise the first Vietnam - Spain Intergovernmental Committee on Economics, Trade and Investment Cooperation, presumably in early January 2018. After the agreement on bilateral cooperation was signed as the result of Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh’s trip to Spain last May, the Spanish side is organising the first Bilateral Finance Committee to implement Spain-funded projects with a budget of 100 million Euros. Additionally, Spain has invested over 278 million Euros to build Metro line No.5 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Spain has expressed a high level of interest in the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The implementation of the agreement will help foster relations between the two countries in the future.

Apart from the positive results, have there been any challenges facing bilateral relations between Vietnam and Spain?

I would like to repeat that I’m very pleased with the relations between our two countries. However, the potential for development is enormous and I think the two sides need to continue working hard on their strategic partnership going forward. I have already listed issues that we could improve upon in the future. We have an advantage in that the two countries have already identified existing problems, and together we can deepen bilateral relations in an efficient and long-lasting way.

By Trinh Quang Chinh

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