Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse left Hanoi on July 5 morning to visit Germany and attend the G20 Summit in Hamburg at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

The G20 Summit will take place on July 7-8 under the theme “Shaping an Interconnected World”. Its three focuses are ensuring stability, improving viability for the future and accepting responsibility.

As the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2017, Vietnam is invited to attend meetings within the G20 framework this year, participate in all debate sessions of the G20 Summit and give opinions on the draft joint statement of the event.

Vietnam and Germany set up diplomatic ties on September 23, 1975. Since then, bilateral friendship and cooperation have been developing in an effective and comprehensive manner.

Germany has been one of the most important European partners of Vietnam for many years. Mutual trust and understanding have been enhanced through the maintenance of high-level delegations and cooperation mechanisms.

In a trip to Vietnam by Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2011, the two countries signed the Hanoi Joint Statement on setting up a strategic partnership. Germany is currently the biggest trade partner of Vietnam in Europe, accounting for nearly 20 percent of Vietnam’s total exports to the EU. It is also an important gateway for Vietnamese goods to other markets in Europe.

VNA