VietNamNet Bridge - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle witnessed the signing of accords of aid and credits in Hanoi Saturday as part of the latter’s visit to Vietnam.

Two of the three signed agreements spell out the German Government’s financial aid for a metro project worth over 212 million EUR under construction in Ho Chi Minh City and a vocation training project worth 10 million EUR.

In another agreement, the German Reconstruction Bank (KfW) is committed to providing the second loan for the above-mentioned metro subway construction in HCMC.

The signing took place after the duo met at the Governmental Office to discuss an orientation towards strategic partnership for bilateral relations.

To meet that end, Dung called for stronger trade and investment promotion efforts from both sides to fully tap their great potential despite the recent achievements that have brought two-way trade to an estimated $6 billion so far and some 200 German investors to Vietnam.

He added that cooperation in education and training, science and technology and people-to-people diplomacy should also be promoted.

“Vietnam has now as before always cherished relations with Germany and worked hard to gear bilateral ties to a deeper and broader dimension in an effective way,” emphasized the Government leader.

Dung hailed the outcome of talks between the German Foreign Minister and Vietnam’s Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh as a springboard for the two countries to reach an agreement on strategic partnership hopefully in October during a visit to Vietnam by the German Chancellor.

The Prime Minister also looked for stronger official development assistance (ODA) from Germany after expressing thanks for its effective aid to development projects.

For his part, Guido Westerwelle pledged that the German Government would do its best to deploy projects of cooperation with Vietnam, especially major projects, while making efforts to speed up trade and investment as key to promote relations in other fields.

“The German Government has always pursued its unswerving policy to work with Vietnam to bring bilateral relations to the strategic partnership level,” said the top diplomat of Germany.

He also called on Vietnam to further back Germany in international and regional forums.

Earlier in the day, Guido Westerwelle held talks with Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, where host and guest reached consensus on orientations and concrete measures to boost bilateral relations.

The discussion focused on major projects of cooperation such as the metro project and establishment of the Vietnam-Germany University, both in Ho Chi Minh City.

Preparations for the upcoming visit to Vietnam by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany were a highlight of the talks, where the two sides agreed to boost exchange of high-level visits among various mechanisms of cooperation to achieve the common goal for strategic partnership.

They also pointed to a need for the two Governments to provide better conditions for their business circles to increase investment in each other countries.

The guest pledged Germany’s further ODA for Vietnam, especially in the areas which are Germany’s strengths and of Vietnam’s interest. These areas ranged from environmental protection to climate change adaptation, healthcare, education, vocational training and development of green and renewable energy.

In regard to overseas Vietnamese in Germany, the host looked for better conditions for them to better integrate themselves into the local community, contribute more to the host country and strengthen bilateral relations.

In conclusion, host and guest reached a consensus that the two countries should increase mutual assistance in multi-lateral and international forums, especially in the United Nations.

Vietnam pledged strong assistance for Germany to expand relations with other Southeast Asian nations while Germany reiterated support for Vietnam to establish comprehensive relations with other members of the European Union.