Vietnam Trade Office in Bulgaria concurrently with Greece 20 Dec 2021
From October 30 to November 2, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan accompanied Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan to pay an official visit to Greece. Within the framework of this visit, the Deputy Minister attended the Vietnam-Greece Business Forum co-chaired by Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Kostas Fragogiannis.
Attending the forum were the Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece, Deputy Ministers, leaders of ministries/sectors, representatives of government agencies, leaders of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the two countries and nearly 50 businesses from Vietnam and Greece.
At the forum, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece gave speeches recognizing the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Greece in recent times, especially since Greece and Vietnam officially opened embassies. The signing of the EVFTA between Vietnam and the European Union, of which Greece is a member, according to the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, will be a corridor and framework in a new trade cooperation between Vietnam. South and Greece. There are many Greek manufacturing enterprises that have additional products for the Vietnamese goods market, and the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister hopes that businesses of the two countries will have more cooperation to take advantage of the EVFTA.
Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan highly appreciated Greece's support and ratification of the EVFTA and hoped that Greece would continue to support to accelerate the ratification process of the EVIPA (Investment Protection Agreement).
Also within the framework of the Forum, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Ambassador of Vietnam to Greece and high-ranking delegation witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation in the field of manufacturing a... agricultural products (olive oil, honey) between the Vietnamese company and its Greek partner, with the desire to contribute to boosting bilateral trade turnover.
On the sidelines of the Forum, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan accompanied Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan to meet with Greek businesses that have needs and aspirations to cooperate with Vietnam. During this meeting, the idea of building a Vietnam House in Athens, Greece, to display Vietnamese products to promote Greeks as well as international tourists when coming to Greece was approved by Vice President. The President noted and assigned the Vietnamese Embassy in Greece together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to study and evaluate specific steps to implement if appropriate.
Vietnam's exports to Greece have increased sharply in recent years and Vietnam always has a high trade surplus. In 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, import-export turnover decreased compared to 2019. In recent years, bilateral trade turnover reached about 300 million USD, of which exports from Vietnam to Greece is about more than 200 million USD.
According to data of Vietnam Customs, trade in the first 9 months of 2021 reached 318 million USD, up 28% over the same period in 2020, of which exports from Vietnam to Greece reached nearly 250 million USD, imports from Greece entering Vietnam reached nearly 70 million USD.
The main export items of Vietnam to Greece in the first 9 months of 2021 and the past years include: phones and components, coffee, cashews, computers, shoes of all kinds, means of transport and spare parts.
Vietnam's main imports from Greece in the first nine months of 2021 and the past years include: cotton, pharmaceuticals, wood pulp, electrical machinery and equipment.
Source: Vietnam Embassy Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria concurrently with Greece