Slovenia to debut diplomatic corps in Vietnam, seeks stronger logistics ties

Slovenia will open a consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City on August 19, marking its official diplomatic representation in Vietnam, as the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of ties.

The opening of the consulate is expected to facilitate bilateral cooperation in all fields, especially trade, stated Ambassador, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Renata Cvelbar Bek at a meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long in Hanoi on Tuesday.

The Slovenian embassy in Beijing, China, serves concurrently in Vietnam.

The visiting diplomat informed that a Slovenian logistics delegation will arrive in Vietnam in September for business matching.

Slovenia sees Vietnam as an important economic partner in Southeast Asia and a market that the European country would like to enhance cooperation with, especially in energy, tourism, and logistics, she noted.

Slovenian businesses are now pioneers in spare parts production and clean energy. They can provide expertise in the fields of energy transportation, logistics and renewables, the diplomat added..

She went on to say that Slovenia also expects to enhance direct connectivity with Vietnam by air and sea, including through Koper seaport, a gateway between Slovenia and other EU countries.

In reply, Long affirmed his willingness to support the incoming Slovenian logistics business delegation. He also expressed hope that Slovenia will hold more trade promotion activities between the two countries.

The Vietnamese official called on Slovenia and other EU member countries to take into account different levels of developments between the two sides and facilitate Vietnam’s market access, minimizing technical barriers for Vietnamese companies.

The two sides agreed to further cooperate to boost bilateral trade.

With the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) enacted in August 2020, trade between Vietnam and Slovenia jumped 12-fold, from $46.1 million in 2012 to $573 million in 2022, with Vietnam always running a surplus.

In the first five months of this year, bilateral trade rose 9.1% year-on-year to $220.5 million. Of the figure, exports from Vietnam increased 24.1% to $177.6 million while imports from Slovenia inched up 0.7% to $42.8 million, according to Vietnam’s customs data.