President highlights growing relations with Japan hinh anh 1President Tran Dai Quang (R) receives Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Kunio Umeda (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang hosted a reception in Hanoi on January 9 for the newly-accredited Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Kunio Umeda.

President Quang highlighted the growing strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan in the fields of politics, economics and trade thanks to the regular exchange of high-level delegations.

He said Japan is one of the leading trade partners of Vietnam and thanked Japan for its continued provision of official development assistance (ODA) for the country.

The President recalled his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the APEC Summit 2016 in Peru, during which the two leaders discussed in depth various cooperation fields and reached high consensus on issues of mutual concern.

He stressed that the upcoming first-ever visit to Vietnam by the Japanese Emperor and Empress will be one of the most important events in bilateral relations in 2017.

Vietnamese agencies are coordinating with the Japanese Foreign Ministry to make the best preparations for the visit, which is expected to create a new special milestone in the bilateral relationship, President Quang added.

For his part, Japanese Ambassador Kunio Umeda said he expects to receive coordination and assistance from Vietnamese relevant agencies to fulfill his missions./.
VNA