WREATH LAYING AT THE MONUMENT of Dr. JOSE RIZAL this morning June 14, 2019. Photo shows the delegation from VietnamPhilippine Friendship Association led by President Vu Van Tam and officers of the Philippine-Vietnam Friendship Association led by President Luis T. Arriola and its Chairman former Senator Eddie Ilarde.
STRENGTHENING RELATIONS OF FRIENSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN VIETNAMESE AND PHILIPPINE PEOPLES
At the invitation of the Philippine – Vietnam Friendship Association (PVFA), a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnam-Philippine Friendship Association (VPFA), led by its President, former Vice Minister The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, paid a working visit to the Philippines from 13-17 June 2019. Accompanied the delegation were a number of Vietnamese businessmen. H.E. Mr Ly Quoc Tuan, Ambassador of Vietnam to the Philippines attended some main activities of the delegation.
During the visit, the delegation laid a wreath to the statue of Jose Rizal – the Philippine Hero and to bust of President Ho Chi Minh; met with PVFA leaders and signed the Minutes of Meeting; called on the Mayor of Tagaytay City Agnes Tolentino and Mr. Meynardo L.B. Montealegre, Assistant Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs; visit the Embassy of Vietnam and Aboitiz Group, one of the major Philippine corporations investing in Vietnam. The Vietnamese businessmen also met the Philippine businessmen.
During the meeting, the VPFA and PVFA Association expressed their satisfaction at fast development of the relations of friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in recent years, especially since the establishment of relations of strategic partnership on November 17, 2015. The result of Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s State visit to Vietnam on September 28, 2016 opened the new phase of cooperation between the two countries, on the basis of strategic partnership. The two sides were particularly pleased with the stable and rapid development of economic, trade and investment relations. In 2018, the total trade turnover between the two countries reached 4.72 billion USD, of which Philippines was a major export market of Vietnam in ASEAN with key export products such as rice, agriculture, forestry and fisheries; the Philippine investment in Vietnam was also increasing. The cooperation between the two countries in the fields of security, defense, culture, sports, tourism and education and training were increasingly developed, notably the increase of tourists visiting the two countries and the Vietnamese students studying in the Philippines.
The PVFA and the Assistant Minister of the DFA expressed their gratitude to the Vietnamese fishing boat for saving 22 PLP fishermen of the Philippine boat which had been sunk by the Chinese ship and on June 9, 2019, holding that the saving was a token of friendship and mutual assistance between the two peoples.
The Mayor of City Tagaytay welcomed the idea proposed by the PVFA and supported by the VPFA on the sisterhood between Tagaytay and a tourist city of Vietnam and expressed her willingness to visit Vietnam soon.
The two associations said that there were still potential cooperation between the two countries and agreed to coordinate activities, contributing to strengthening cooperation in the fields of economic, trade, investment as well as education and training, such as student and lectures exchanges with the two countries; strengthening propaganda information for the people of the two countries, especially the young generation people so that the know about each other’s country and people. According to VPFA’s request, the PVFA Association pledged to coordinate with the concerned authorities and agencies of the Philippines to support and create favorable conditions for Vietnamese sports delegations to participate in SEA Games at PLP in 11/2019.
President Vu Van Tam thanked PVFA President, Mr. Luis Arriola for his friendly and thoughtful reception and informed the latter that in 2020, VPFA would hold the second Congress, and invite PVFA delegation led by President Luis Arriola to visit Vietnam soon. Chairman Luis Arriola sincerely thanked the invitation and promised to attend.
It can be said that the visit to the Philippines by the CPFA was a great success, thus contributing to the promotion of the relations of strategic partnership between the two countries in general and between the two peoples in particular.
By the way, Salamat and Mabuhay Vietnam fishermen for rescuing our people in the West Philippines Sea after they were rammed by a foreign vessel. That’s brotherhood at its best.
