Ambassador Le Linh Lan and Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Switzerland Philipp Rosler. Photo: VNA

The Vietnam Embassy in Bern (Switzerland) awarded Philipp Rosler, former vice chancellor of Germany, the official decision appointing him the first Honorary Consul of Vietnam inSwitzerland. At the event, a roundtable on business opportunities in digital transformation and startup ecosystem in Vietnam was held.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Le Linh Lan congratulated Rosler on his new position.

In Vietnam and countries in Southeast Asia and Europe, Honorary Consuls play important roles as a bridge, not only between the government and business people but also between communities. The new title contributes to Rosler's already distinguished international business and political career.

Ambassador Le Linh Lan emphasized the importance of Switzerland to Vietnam and the potential for cooperation and partnership between the two countries. The year 2021 marks two historical milestones in Vietnam - Switzerland's relations: the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and 30 years of development cooperation.

Over the past half century, the two countries' friendship and cooperation have achieved good results in all fields and still have a lot of potentials. The two closely cooperate and support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations.

During a productive official visit to Vietnam two months ago, Swiss Vice President and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis had a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to discuss measures to promote FTA negotiations between Vietnam and the EFTA countries, including Switzerland.

Philipp Rosler visits a Vinfast factory. (Photo: Twitter)

In the field of economy, bilateral cooperation has strongly developed in recent years. Switzerland has become an important trade, investment, and economic partner of Vietnam.

Trade volume reached a record of US$3.6 billion in 2019. Around 140 Swiss companies, including world-class brands such as Nestle, ABB, Novartis, Roche, Holcim, have been doing business in Vietnam with a total investment capital of nearly US$2 billion, making Switzerland the sixth largest investor to Vietnam in Europe.

The Ambassador also spoke about a safe and successful business trip in November 2020 led by Honorary Consul Rosler before his appointment.

The trip took place amid a pandemic outbreak with strict restrictions. The delegation met President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was prime minister at that time, and leaders of the Ministry of Economy and Trade. The delegation decided to invest US$350 million in the health sector, technology start-ups, and Phu Quoc tourist area.

Ambassador Le Linh Lan expressed her full confidence in Rosler's capacity to further promote cooperation not only between Vietnam and Switzerland but also between Vietnam and German-speaking business community.

The Ambassador hoped that with the complementary nature of the two economies and the current strong political dynamics, Vietnam and Switzerland could jointly take their partnership to the next level.

For Rosler, being appointed as Vietnam's first honorary consul in Switzerland is a great honor, responsibility, and great opportunity to show his gratitude to the homeland. He said hoped Swiss businesses would further find opportunities and promote business investment cooperation in Vietnam.

Vietnam has appointed 44 honorary consuls, of which 32 are still working, since 1994. Currently, about 20 candidates are aspiring to hold the position.

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