Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Slovenia have a lot of potential to strengthen cooperation for mutual development, and for peace, security and stability in the two countries as well as in the region and the world at large, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia Nguyen Trung Kien.

At an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam- Slovenia diplomatic relations (June 7, 1994-2024), the ambassador emphasised that in fact, the two countries’ relations started more than 30 years ago when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia.

Vietnam had a good relationship with Yugoslavia, which supported its cause of national liberation and unification, he said.

Three years after Slovenia gained independence in 1991, it established diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Since then, the bilateral ties have kept growing with exchanges of delegations, including high-ranking ones, and the regular meetings of the Vietnam - Slovenia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Cooperation.

The third meeting of the committee was held in October 2023 in Ljubljana under the co-chair of Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon. Previously, the Slovenia official paid an official visit to Vietnam from May 22-23, 2023 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. During the visit, the two sides outlined directions for promoting bilateral relations.

Regarding trade ties, the ambassador said that two-way trade between Vietnam and Slovenia has grown steadily in recent years, reaching 573 million USD in 2023. In the first four months of 2024, the figure hit 161 million USD, with Vietnam's exports worth 127.5 million USD, equivalent to the level in the same period last year and its imports 33.5 million USD, down 0.6%. Slovenia has three projects with a total registered capital of 2.27 million USD in Vietnam, ranking 92nd out of 144 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

The cooperation and exchanges between Vietnam and Slovenia in many other fields have been also developing, the ambassador said. Slovenia has appointed an Honorary Consul and will soon open a consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to strengthen relations with Vietnam.

♚ According to the ambassador, with a favourable geographical location, Slovenia is an important gateway for Vietnam to bring its goods to Europe; while Vietnam, with a large population and a rapidly growing economy in the dynamic Southeast Asian region, Vietnam is a promising market for Slovenia's innovation products./.