President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and their counterparts of central-eastern European countries exchanged congratulatory messages to each other on the occasion of the 65th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the nations.

In their congratulatory messages, the Vietnamese leaders said 65 years ago, the central-eastern European countries (CEEs), including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Albania, were one of the first nations around the world recognising and establishing the diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

The sound traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and the CEEs have been nurtured by generations of leaders and people based on mutual trust, understanding and willing to assist each other.

The Vietnamese people are always grateful to the valuable support of the CEEs in the cause of national independence, construction and current development, the leaders said, citing tens of thousands of Vietnamese officials and engineers received training in the CEEs and many of whom are holding key positions in the Vietnamese State’s apparatus and the socio-economic field.

For their part, CEEs leaders held that the relationship between Vietnam and the CEEs has stood the test of all challenges and made active contributions to the cause of respective national construction, creating a strong base for multilateral cooperation in the context of global changes.

They expressed their admiration to Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in recent years, and said they believe the country will continue to be a stable factor in the Southeast Asian region, and the vivid example of addressing global complicated issues via peaceful means.

Vietnam has become an important friend of the European Union and a dynamic member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), they said.

The leaders of Vietnam and the CEEs pledged to make more efforts to further deepen their traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation for mutual benefits, peace, and prosperity in the region and the world.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also exchanged congratulations with CEEs Ministers of Foreign Affairs on the occasion.-VNA