Press Releases

The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, received the credentials of the Ambassador of Vietnam stationed in Rome, Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Hue, during a formal ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, 6 February 2020.  

Presenting her credentials, Ms Thi Bich Hue, speaking in English, said:

"Your Excellency,

It is my great honour and privilege to present today to Your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the Letter of Recall of my predecessor and the Letter of Credence accrediting me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the Republic of Cyprus.

Please allow me, Your Excellency, to take this opportunity to convey to you and to all Cypriot people the cordial greetings and best wishes of His Excellency Nguyen Phu Trong, Communist Party General Secretary and State President of Viet Nam, for good health, continuous progress and prosperity.

Your Excellency,

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and Republic of Cyprus in 1975, our bilateral relations have developed smoothly, featuring close exchanges and cooperation in many areas of common interests, notably trade, education and tourism. At the high-level contact, the coming visit to Viet Nam of H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who will be accompanied by an important businesses delegation, provides a clear signal of the strengthening partnership between Viet Nam and the Republic of Cyprus and lays stronger framework for future cooperation between the two sides.

Both countries also share similar positions on many issues of regional and global concerns, including the importance of resolving maritime disputes and respecting national sovereignty in accordance with international law. I take this opportunity to appreciate the close coordination and assistance that the Republic of Cyprus has extended to Viet Nam in various international organizations and fora, especially your support for our candidature as Non – Permanent Member of the UN Security Council for 2020 – 2021.  Being concurrently the Chair of ASEAN in 2020, Viet Nam would look forward to the continuous cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus to successfully meet the expectations that the international community has placed upon our country.

Economic cooperation is another important aspect of our fruitful relationship. With the EU – Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) soon to be in force, I believe that it will generate great opportunities for businesses in both Viet Nam and the Republic of Cyprus to cooperate and thrive together, bringing major benefits for our people and economy in the near future.

Your Excellency,

As you may know, there is over 7,000 ethnic Vietnamese currently working, living and studying in the Republic of Cyprus. I am delighted to learn that the community is making good contribution to the economic and societal development of this beautiful country and also to its multicultural fabric. On this occasion,  wish to convey the sincere appreciation of the Government of Viet Nam for the valuable support of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus in helping this community to grow and effectively integrate into the local environment.

Your Excellency,

With my appointment as the new Ambassador of Viet Nam to the Republic of Cyprus, it is my earnest hope that I shall succeed in my endeavors to further strengthen and expand the fruitful relations between our two countries, particularly in the areas of international cooperation, climate change and green growth as well as in the field of business, commerce and investment.

I shall do my utmost to carry out responsibilities that devolve upon me with this ceremony and wish to cordially request Your Excellency and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to render kind assistance to me for the successful fulfillment of my mission.

Thank you".

Receiving the credentials, the President said:

“Your Excellency,

It is with great pleasure that I receive today your Letters of Credence, appointing you as the new Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Cyprus. Please accept my sincere congratulations for your appointment and my best wishes for every success during your tenure.

Cyprus and Vietnam share a close friendship based on common values and principles of peace, security and development that are enshrined in international law and the United Nations Charter. With regards to our bilateral ties, I believe that these can be further enhanced by expanding our cooperation in a number of fields such as those of finance, investment, maritime affairs, tourism, as well as education. This will provide us with the possibility to strengthen our bonds and bridge the geographical distance between our respective countries. At the same time, I am pleased to attest that people-to-people contacts and trade between Cyprus and Vietnam have developed progressively, setting the grounds for a promising future in our relations.

Cyprus considers Vietnam as a reliable partner for the EU in Asia, with a role in forging strong bonds between Asia and Europe. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement together with the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development, are another proof of the EU’s commitment to deepen and expand our partnership. In this regard, Cyprus will continue offering its support to Hanoi to further enhance its relations and cooperation with the Union.

Excellency,

As regards the economy, following the severe economic crisis of 2013, Cyprus has achieved a return to positive growth rates since 2015. For 2019, the growth rate is estimated at 3.2%, while medium-term macroeconomic forecasts project a robust growth of around 3% in the years to come.

Public finances have been set - and they continue to be - on a sustainable management path. In particular, for 2019 the budget surplus is expected to be at 3.8% as a percentage of GDP. The labour market is continuing to record steady progress, with an estimation of 7% unemployment for 2019, compared with 8.4% the previous year. The percentage decline in unemployment is among the largest in the EU and it is projected that by 2020 we will return to full employment conditions.

The banking system, re-focusing its operations and fully adhering to the strictest international transparency and compliance regulations, is now based on a stronger and healthier base in terms of capitalization, liquidity and profitability. Remarkable progress has also been achieved with respect to non-performing loans. The positive outlook of the Cypriot economy, as well as effective actions in the banking sector, have strengthened the confidence of investors and of International Credit Rating Agencies, reflected through a number of successive upgrades, currently classifying Cyprus at the investment grade.

Our commitment as a Government is to remain focused on maintaining and broadening the conditions under which surpluses and high growth rates can be generated, to continue promoting structural reforms and improving the country’s business environment.

Your Excellency,

I am aware of your particular interest as regards the latest developments on the Cyprus Problem and the prospect of resuming the negotiating process. Following the renewed active involvement of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a tripartite meeting was convened last November in Berlin between Mr. Guterres, the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Akinci and myself. It was a productive meeting which our side considers as a positive step in our efforts to conclude the “Terms of Reference” and resume the peace process in the framework of the Good Offices Mission of the UN Secretary-General.

Such a development would allow us to hold an informal Conference on Cyprus in the format of the previous ones, which would give the opportunity to all stakeholders to discuss the modalities that should guide the possible resumption of meaningful and well-prepared negotiations.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to express my personal appreciation, as well as that of my Government and the people of the Republic of Cyprus, for Vietnam’s support and contribution towards our efforts to reach a viable and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Regrettably, Turkey continues to act as a “spoiler” by, amongst others, turning to military threats, illegal drilling activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, threats to open the fenced-off city of Ammochostos and signing an illegal Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea with Libya.

Actions which have been condemned in the strongest manner by the international community and the EU, since they do not comply with the notion of good neighbourly relations, international law and particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and infringe upon the sovereign rights of third States.

Actions which, apart from escalating tensions in our already turbulent region, have also a huge negative effect on our efforts to resume the peace process and do not create the necessary conditions for all parties to engage in a results-oriented dialogue.

We do hope that Turkey will finally adopt a more realistic and constructive approach by refraining from actions which do not create the necessary conditions of establishing an environment conducive to having productive negotiations on an equal footing. We also hope that Turkish stakeholders will finally acknowledge the overwhelming benefit of becoming part of our regional cooperation agenda and of positively working towards a viable solution to the Cyprus problem which would reunify Cyprus and its people and enhance regional stability.

Despite the challenges we face, I wish to assure you that I remain strongly committed in engaging in a new round of negotiations, once conditions permit it, with the aim to reach a lasting, viable and comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus issue, in line with the European acquis, international law and the relevant UN Resolutions. A settlement that will safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, ensuring the peaceful and prosperous co-existence of all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish, without any third country dependencies, military troops and guarantees.

Your Excellency,

In concluding, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Hue, I welcome you to Cyprus and I would like to assure you of my Government’s support during the performance of your high duties. Moreover, I would kindly ask you to convey a message of genuine friendship to the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Mr Nguyen Phu Trong and also to his well-being and that of the friendly people of Vietnam".

(ND/SCH)