Vietnamese ambassador presents credentials to Marshall President

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s newly-appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Marshall Islands Vu Hong Nam has presented his credentials to President Hilda Heine.

At a later reception for the Vietnamese diplomat, President Heine highly evaluated bilateral relations between Marshall and Vietnam in recent years, expressing her gratitude to Vietnam for successfully organizing the 6th Global Environment Facility Assembly (GEF 6) in the central city of Da Nang in 2018.

She also applauded the outcomes of her meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of GEF 6, saying that this was an important milestone in the relations between the two countries.

The President suggested the two nations work closely with the international community in protecting the environment, preventing global warming and sea level rise, expressing her hope that the two countries will further enhance cooperation in tourism and air transport, and promote goods exchanges.

President Heine also called on Vietnamese firms to invest in Marshall, especially in the fields that Vietnam has strength, while asking Vietnam to help the country ensure food security.

For his part, Nam affirmed Vietnam always attaches importance to relations with and thanked Marshall for its support to Vietnam in recent years.

He also spoke highly Marshall’s stance and policy on issues related to protecting international law and respecting the UN 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), affirming that Vietnam has actively joined in protecting the global environment and preventing global warming.

The Vietnamese Government always supports and encourages enterprises of the two countries to expand cooperation.

The same day, Marshall Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade John Silk received the Vietnamese diplomat, during which the two officials discussed the bilateral cooperation in the international arena, and asserted mutual support in issues concerning the protection of international law and UNCLOS 1982.

They also debated ways to foster trade ties between the two nations, especially in agriculture and fishery.

Silk hoped that the two sides will consider and sign important agreements soon to create a foundation for expanding the bilateral trade cooperation, including those on air transport and shipping, and facilitation of the granting of visas to citizens of both nations.

Nam also met Minister of Natural Resources and Business of Marshall Dennis Momotaro. They discussed how to prevent the disposal of waste into sea, especially plastic waste, which threatens the fishing and tourism industries of many countries worldwide.

During his stay in Marshall, Nam visited economic and tourism agencies, and schools in the country.-VNA