The German Parliament always values its relations with Vietnam and helps the country develop ties with the European Union, the country’s Vice President Edelgard Bulmahn said, while being received by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on April 15.

Minh, who also acts as Deputy Prime Minister, said he is delighted at the fine development of the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership across all fields.

Valuing Germany as Vietnam’s leading trade partner in the EU, Minh asked the German Parliament to continue encouraging its businesses to invest more in Vietnam.

He praised Germany for choosing Ho Chi Minh City to host the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in November, saying that it is an important economic event that will help boost trade and investment ties between Germany and Asian-Pacific countries in general and Vietnam in particular.

The two sides also agreed to closely coordinate in organising activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2015, as well as implementing key projects between the two countries, including the metro line No. 2 in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam-Germany University.

The same day, the German guest attended an international conference on the peace keeping mission, jointly held by Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Institute and Sweden’s Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in Hanoi.-VNA