Vietnam’s envoy delivers keynote address at NUST: ‘B2B and people-to-people ties are key to strong bilateral relations’

ISLAMABAD: The NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organised a keynote address by Nguyen Tien Phong, the Ambassador of Vietnam to Pakistan, on “Envisioning Comprehensive Pakistan-Vietnam Cooperation: Prospects and Opportunities.”

Lt Gen Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari (retd), Rector NUST, greeted the esteemed guest upon arrival. Moderated by Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General, NIPS, the keynote highlighted the areas of Pakistan-Vietnam cooperation.

The Ambassador stressed the importance of people-centric approach to bilateral relations as the foundation for enhancing bilateral trade, S&T partnerships, academic and student exchanges, cultural understanding, and tourism promotion. He termed business-to-business (B2B) and people-to-people ties key to strong bilateral relations between the two countries.

He underlined the need for a strong mechanism for implementing plans, projects, and proposals related to cooperation, which, he said, required strong ownership by the government and the people on both sides.

He further said that the growth strategy of Vietnam is focused on integrating the Vietnamese firms and enterprises into the regional and global value chains and production networks. He said that Pakistan’s dynamic youth population, sectoral specialisation, industrial clusters, and price and locational advantages can catapult the country into the front ranks of emerging economies.

The Ambassador praised NUST for being the leading knowledge hub of Pakistan. He emphasised the importance of top universities as major drivers of nation-building and social development, especially highlighting the need for promoting linkages between Pakistani and Vietnamese universities.

Speaking on the occasion, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific), MoFA, said that Vietnam’s development in recent decades was highly impressive. He stressed that Pakistan was committed to not only strengthening bilateral relations but also enhancing cooperation with ASEAN.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024