Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Do Minh Hung had a meeting with Israeli officials to promote cooperation on trade, labor and citizen protection between the two countries on May 24-25.

Vietnam urges countries to pledge to protect civilians during conflicts

Vietnamese embassy in Israel prioritizes the safety of overseas citizens

Vietnam calls for early resumption of peace process in Middle East

Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Do Minh Hung (4th from left) at a meeting with Director General of Israel's Consular Affairs Department Eyal Siso (2nd from left). Photo: the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel

At the meeting, Ambassador Do Minh Hung discussed with Director General of Israel's Consular Affairs Department Eyal Siso and Director General for Asia-Pacific Gilad Cohen at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on promoting the focus in the bilateral relations, especially the Vietnam- Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA), the agreements on labor and citizen protection.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the two-way trade between Vietnam and Israel in 2020 reached 1.6 billion USD, considerably increasing compared to 2019.

At the meeting, the two sides showed their determination in solving existing problems to soon proceed with the signing of the VIFTA (which was started to be negotiated on December 2, 2015).

Ambassador Do Minh Hung at a meeting with Director General for Asia-Pacific Gilad Cohen (fourth from left). Photo: Baoquocte

The two countries have also actively negotiated the labor agreement which is considered a new direction in the bilateral relationship.

Regarding the agricultural trainee program, Vietnam is currently the country with the largest number of students participating in this program. If it hadn’t been for Covid-19, as many as 600 Vietnamese students would arrive in Israel to study and work in agriculture every year.

In the context of the unstable security situation in Israel, Ambassador Do Minh Hung asked the Israeli Foreign Ministry to take measures to ensure safety for the Vietnamese community in the country.

The representative from the Israeli Foreign Ministry pledged to carry out measures to ensure safety for Vietnamese people while being ready to coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel in emergency cases.

Malie Nguyen