VUFO President Phan Anh Son said that over the past 50 years, bilateral relations between Vietnam and Argentina have continuously developed. Photo: Thu Ha

The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Argentina was organized by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) and the Argentine Embassy in Vietnam on October 25 in Hanoi.

People-to-people diplomacy cultivates relations between Vietnam and Argentina

Speaking at the ceremony, Phan Anh Son, president of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) said the foundation of cooperative activities and good traditional friendship between the two peoples orginated in 1912, when President Ho Chi Minh stopped in Argentina on his journey to find a way to save the country.

During the 1960s, many political organizations and mass organizations, including the Argentine Communist Party, and the Movement to Support Vietnam (MAVIET), supported the Vietnamese people’s fight to unify the country.

Many Argentines donated medicine to Vietnam through the International Committee of the Red Cross, and sent petitions with tens of thousands of signatures asking the US government to end the war.

In recent years, VUFO coordinated with the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute (ICAV) to welcome more than 20 delegations of intellectuals, journalists, scientists, doctors, and artists to visit and learn about the situation in Vietnam.

ICAV coordinated with Vietnamese partners to organize activities to introduce Vietnamese culture to the Argentine people, promoting friendly exchanges between provinces and schools of the two countries.

VUFO and ICAV are supporting an Argentinian journalist to research the history, culture, policies and traditional values of the Vietnamese people. VUFO also worked with government agencies to establish the Vietnam-Argentina Friendship Association.

Phan Anh Son believes that the friendly relationship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries will develop strongly, substantially, and more effectively in the coming time. The cooperative relationship between VUFO and Argentine partners will always be a foundational factor for the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Potential for cooperation

According to Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino, both Argentina and Vietnam, through the Embassies of each country and with the cooperation of local authorities, many activities were organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino spoke at the celebration. Photo: Thu Ha

In April 2023, Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue paid an official visit to Argentina.

The two sides signed 10 agreements, expanding the bilateral agenda through new cooperation initiatives, including the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

The two governments agreed to elevate relations to a new stage. The two sides realize that bilateral trade and investment still have much development potential and are committed to creating favorable conditions to promote and access the market.

Mai Thi Phuong Hoa, president of the Vietnam-Argentina Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, suggested the two countries focus on promoting collaboration in three pillars namely politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, and culture-education-tourism. 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Argentina. Photo: Thu Ha The two countries take advantage of frameworks and free trade agreements (FTAs), especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and aim for an FTA between Vietnam and Mercosur. Vietnam and Argentina seize the opportunity for green, clean, sustainable, innovative, and creative development in which Vietnam and Argentina have strengths that can complement each other. "Our two countries will cooperate more comprehensively, substantively, and effectively on the foundation of 50 years of diplomatic relations, together continuing to write beautiful new pages of the history of Vietnam and Argentina," Mai Thi Phuong Hoa said.

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