Hanoi (VNA)– President Tran Dai Quang and Italian President Sergio Mattarella on March 22 exchangedtheir messages of greetings on the occasion of the 45th anniversaryof Vietnam-Italy diplomatic relations (March 23, 1973-2018).
The same day, DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Italian Foreign MinisterAngelino Alfano also exchanged messages to congratulate each other on the specialoccasion.
Over the past 45years, Vietnam and Italy have enjoyed booming partnership in all fields,especially economy.
Vietnam has becomeItaly’s largest trade partner in ASEAN, surpassing economic powerhouses such asSingapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Two-way trade rose nearly 9 percent annuallyto 4.7 billion USD in 2016.
Both sides areworking to lift two-way trade to 6 billion USD for 2017-2018. Vietnam mainlyexports footwear, aquatic products, coffee and apparel to Italy, and importsmechanical machinery, transportation vehicles and leather materials.
The European Union –Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which takes effect this year, willfurther facilitate bilateral economic and trade links.
As of February 2018,Italy ranked 31st out of 128 countries and territories investing in Vietnamwith 88 projects worth more than 388 million USD. The Italian government hasadded Vietnam into its list of 10 emerging markets prioritised for trade andinvestment ties.
The European nationis now home to nearly 5,000 Vietnamese nationals, mostly in northern Italianprovinces with plenty of job opportunities in industry.-VNA