Vietnam, Pakistan celebrate 50 year of diplomatic ties: Participants take a photo at the event. (Photo: WVR/Le An)

Addressing the event, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), said that over the past 50 years, Pakistan has always been a close friend and a trustworthy partner of Vietnam.

Ambassador Nga highlighted the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in all fields, with two-way trade reaching a record of 794 million USD in 2021. Positive results have also been seen in the fields of culture, science-technology, and security-defence, she said, adding that the two sides have supported each other at international forums, especially the UN Security Council.

She also expressed her belief that the Vietnam-Pakistan friendship and cooperation will further grow with greater achievements, meeting the aspirations of both peoples.

For his part, Pakistani Ambassador to Vietnam Samina Mehtab held that the celebration of the anniversary is a good chance for the two sides to further promote their solidarity and friendship.

She noted that the Pakistani Embassy in Vietnam recently coordinated with the Vietnam Institute of Indian and Southwest Asian Studies (VIISAS) to organise an international conference on the Vietnam-Pakistan 50-year ties, during which participants discussed measures to promote bilateral relations.

The Pakistani Ambassador said that the two countries have established bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as political consultations, Ministerial-Level Joint Committee and Trade Cooperation Committee. The two sides have also formed a friendship parliamentarians’ group, she noted.

She said she believes that in the future, the Vietnam-Pakistan relations will become stronger with deeper mutual understanding and closer cooperation.