President Simonetta Sommaruga made the statement during a reception in Bern on November 24 for the new Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Pham Hai Bang after a credentials presentation ceremony.
The President pledged to continue implementing the commitments on providing official development assistance for Vietnam.
For his part, Bang expressed his honour to serve as Ambassador in Switzerland when the two nations are making preparations for celebrating the 45 th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship in 2016.
He expressed his hope that Vietnam and the European free trade area will soon conclude negotiations and sign a free trade agreement next year.
The Ambassador updated the host on the official formation of the ASEAN Community as well as Vietnam’s stance over the recent developments in the East Sea at the freshly-ended ASEAN Summit 27.
The host President expressed her delight at the progress of the two nations’ negotiations for an FTA.
She also congratulated the formation of the ASEAN Community, and affirming that Switzerland will send its observers or representatives to the ASEAN.
The host expressed hope that the new Ambassador will make significant contribution to fostering the relations between the two nations.
Switzerland is one of the leading European partners of Vietnam, with the average annual two-way trade reaching between 700-800 million USD.
The Vietnam-Switzerland Enterprises and Investment Promotion Forum is scheduled to take place in the country on December 7.
VNA/VNP
