At the launching ceremony on March 13, Vietnamese Ambassador to France and Andorra Nguyen Thiep handed over the decision of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to appoint Olivier Montel Monteret as the honorary consul of Vietnam in Andorra.
Thiep highlighted the significance of the inauguration of the office, saying that it marks a new important step in bilateral relations, enabling Vietnam and Andorra to further expand multifaceted cooperation in the coming time.
Previously, Ambassador Nguyen Thiep presented his credentials to Co-Monarch of Andorra, Archbishop of Urgell Joan-Enric Vives Sicilia, and paid a courtesy visit to Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Ubach.
At a reception for Thiep later, both Sicilia and Ubach said they are impressed by Vietnam’s new position in the region and the world, especially its rapid economic growth in the last five years.
They said Andorra and Vietnam hold much potential to promote bilateral cooperation in tourism and investment, and increase mutual support at international forums such as the United Nations, the Francophone community.
Ubach informed the Vietnamese diplomat of Andorra’s recent economic reform, saying that the European country is loosening regulations to attract more foreign investment, especially building tax policies to conform to principles of the European Union.
The Andorran leaders wished Thiep a successful working tenure, thereby making practical contributions to further deepening the bilateral relations.
For his part, Thiep asserted that Vietnam wants to maintain and expand cooperation with Andorra by backing each other at multilateral forums, exchanging visits at all levels and signing cooperation agreements on investment protection, double taxation avoidance, and tourism development.
He thanked Andorra for its support for Vietnamese candidates in international organisations, especially the UN.
Vietnam and Andorra established diplomatic ties in 2007. Vietnam is one of the three Asian countries that have opened an honorary consulate office in Andorra after the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.
