Czech Republic to set up Consulate General in HCM City
HCM City (VNA) - The Czech Republic will soon establish a
Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, to promote economic-cultural activities and
consular work, Czech Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam Lukas Musil said on October 23.
He announced the plan at a gathering held in the southern economic hub
to mark the 102nd National Day of the European nation (October 28,
1918 - 2020) and the 70th anniversary of Vietnam - Czech Republic
diplomatic relations (February 2, 1950 - 2020).
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Muoi, Chairman of the city’s Vietnam - Czech
Republic Friendship Association, said the long-standing traditional ties and
multifaceted cooperation between the two nations have grown fruitfully from both bilateral and multilateral perspectives.
Two-way trade reached close to 1.2 billion USD last year, and Czech
investors are currently investing about 100 million USD in 35 projects across Vietnam.
Muoi said his association appreciated the assistance it has received
from the Czech Embassy and pledged to do his utmost to cement the bilateral
friendship.
For his part, Musil said events such as this gathering
contribute significantly to fostering mutual understanding, solidarity, and
traditional friendship between the people of the two countries.
He took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Government, people, and Vietnamese
expatriates in the Czech Republic for their support in his nation’s COVID-19
prevention and control work over recent times.
Cooperation programmes to mark the 70th anniversary of
diplomatic relations, which were postponed due to the pandemic, will be carried
out shortly if conditions permit, he said, adding that programmes include a State-level
visit by a Czech leader and the opening of direct flights between Hanoi and
Prague./.