At a ceremony on June 12 to receive the credentials from Ambassador Ta Van Thong, the Governor General welcomed the strong development of bilateral ties throughout the past 43 years since the two countries set up diplomatic ties.
She recalled the successful visit to New Zealand by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last March, and affirmed her support for lifting the two countries’ relationship to a strategic partnership in the time ahead, as well as of raising bilateral trade value to 1.7 billion USD next year.
She said Vietnam is playing an important role in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as in such free trade agreements as the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Ambassador Thong said he was honoured when being appointed to the position and pledged to do his best to bolster the friendly and cooperative ties between Vietnam and New Zealand.
