Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick on visit to Vietnam (9 December 2018)

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick visited Hanoi, at the head of the first Greek business mission to Vietnam, where he announced commencement of its work at a special event, which took place at the offices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry there.

Mr. Quick also had meetings with the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang.  During his meeting with the two Deputy Ministers, in the presence of the Greek Ambassador to Vietnam, Ioannis Raptakis, Mr. Quick requested expediting of the procedures, on the part of Vietnam, for the conclusion of Agreements, both in the field of shipping as well as in the area of preventing double taxation.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also discussed current bilateral and international issues. The continued strengthening of relations between the two countries was agreed upon and also the convening meetings on a political and official level in Athens and Hanoi.  In addition, the Deputy Minister renewed Greece's invitation for a formal visit by the Prime Minister of Vietnam to Athens.

Upon his departure from Hanoi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs made the following statement:

"Synergies on the part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in promoting the Greek economy abroad continue. Today, for the first time, there are Greek businesses present in Vietnam, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, so as to gain access to the market of a country which is growing at a fast rate.

I note that Hanoi places second in the world as a city in terms of financial, residential, and industrial growth rates.

Seventeen Greek companies, coordinated by SEV (The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises), ACCI (Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and SEVE (The Greek International Business Association) will conduct within the next 48 hours B2B meetings and, as everything indicates, they will enjoy a great rate of success.

This is the repeated Greek business campaign which is being carried out in developing countries, both of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, as well as in countries of the former Soviet block.

Especially here in Vietnam, Greek companies are gaining access to a “client list” of 100 million residents, in sectors such as construction, product standardisation, renewable energy sources, tourism, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, high technology, transports etc."