On December 16, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) organized a ceremony to present the medal "For peace and friendship among nations" to Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaime Chomali.

Photo: TV

The ceremony marked the attendance of Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaime Chomali; President of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Nguyen Phuong Nga; Former Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile, President of Vietnam-Chile Friendship and Cooperation Association Nguyen Van Tich; Representatives of leaders and Standing Committee of the Vietnam-Chile Friendship and Cooperation Association; Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chilean Embassy in Vietnam, etc.

Speaking at the ceremony, VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga highly spoke of the positive contributions of Chilean Ambassador Jaime Chomali in strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

“During his tenure in Vietnam, the Ambassador actively promoted the cooperation between Vietnam and Chile in many fields, from politics - diplomacy to trade, economy, culture, and people-to-people relations, as well as enhanced high-level exchanges between the two countries”.

VUFO President stressed that "Despite the far geographical distance, Vietnam and Chile have a good traditional relationship. Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam on March 25, 1971. The Vietnamese people will forever remember the image of President Salvador Allende and treasure the great support of Chile for it in the struggle for national liberation and reunification. The two countries established the Comprehensive Partnership in May 2007".

For his part, Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaime Chomali expressed his thanks to VUFO and the Vietnam- Chile Friendship Association for supporting the Chilean Embassy in Vietnam to realize the mission of linking two countries.

" I believed that Vietnam- Chile ties will continue being consolidated in the time ahead. In spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, many important cultural activities have been organized. In particular, the Vietnam Education Publishing House published three works by Chilean writer Roberto Fuentes. This will help Vietnamese readers get a closer insight into the Chilean culture and literature", the Ambassador said.

The Ambassador added that he would continue making contributions to fostering the friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Chile regardless of holding any position in the future.

Political-diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Chile have increasingly been reinforced, reflected through the visits of senior leaders and leaders of ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries.

The two-way trade turnover has risen rapidly. In 2019, it reached 1.23 billion USD, up by 12.95% compared to 2018. In the first ten months of 2020, despite the Covid-19 epidemic, the turnover stood at 1053 billion USD. The two sides have used the Free Trade Council meeting mechanism to effectively implement the Vietnam- Chile Free Trade Agreement and the CPTPP.

Currently, Chile is not only the third-largest exporter of Vietnam in Latin America but also serves as a gateway for Vietnamese goods to penetrate the Latin American market.

In 2021, Vietnam and Chile will celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and 10 years of signing the Free Trade Agreement. Chile is the first Latin American country with which Vietnam sign a Free Trade Agreement.