COPENHAGEN/HANOI: In a message on the occasion of Denmark’s Constitution Day, June 5, Ambassador Charlotte Laursen asserts that the country will play an active role in Viet Nam’s future development.
Denmark’s Constitution of 1849 marked the beginning of the Danish democratic system and culture. The charter established Denmark as a constitutional monarchy and defined our fundamental civil rights, including the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Fast-forward to 2017, our constitution and its imbedded values remain the foundation of our society and our position in a globalised world. That is why we celebrate the Danish Constitution Day today.
On the global scene, Denmark is an active partner. We aim to contribute to topics and sectors in which we have special skills, know-how or experience, no matter if these are with the State or with private companies. Some of these topics and sectors are energy, environment, food safety, health and education, which also happen to be selected as focus areas for the new Viet Nam-Denmark strategic sector co-operation, as also sectors where we have strong commercial co-operation with Viet Nam.
Over the years, Viet Nam-Denmark co-operation has been strengthened through official development assistance (ODA) with a focus on poverty reduction, capacity building, environmental protection, etc. Denmark has contributed US$1.3 billion in ODA grants since 1993.
In early May, the Danish Minister for Development Co-operation, Ulla Tørnæs, visited Viet Nam, cementing our good bilateral strategic partnership and underlining Denmark’s commitment – especially within the Strategic Sector Co-operation.
The rapid development of bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Denmark is another way in which we are an active partner. In fact, the total value of bilateral trade in goods increased more than four times between 2005 and 2015 and Danish investments in Viet Nam nearly tripled during this period. Denmark has become the region’s largest per capita exporter of goods to Viet Nam, at 65 euros in 2016.
The figures illustrate the strong interest of Danish companies in doing business in Viet Nam. Today over 130 Danish companies are established in Viet Nam, with a majority in the area of production, thanks to Viet Nam’s diligent and qualified workforce.
The outlook is positive for Danish businesses and other EU companies in Viet Nam with the new EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) expected to come into effect in 2018. The EVFTA represents an important platform for co-operation between our two countries and we strongly believe that the pact will deliver mutual benefit.
Denmark stands ready to continue working with Viet Nam on the challenges and solutions ahead. We will remain a committed and active partner in Viet Nam’s future development.
