Ha Noi (VNA) - For Romania, Vietnam is a traditional partner in the region, particularly within the ASEAN area, Mr. Marin Buhoara, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania, told Viet Nam News Agency in an exclusive interview marking 55 year of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Romania (February 3).

Over the decades, bilateral relations between the two countries have evolved into a new phase of development, to the benefit of both countries, he said, adding that at the beginning of the 21st century, business, trade and cooperation, are the driving forces for relations between countries. The Romanian-Vietnamese relations are no exception to this well-established truth.

He stressed that sharing knowledge, technology and managerial expertise are just few areas with good prospects for business. By cooperating in developing human resources in Romanian Universities, Romania and Viet Nam are laying the ground for tomorrow’s cooperation in technology and in the technical field.

He highlighted the rich content of state visits made at the highest level, to Hanoi and Bucharest, as well as the comprehensive set of agreements signed on these occasions, which are now being implemented in various fields, such as education, agriculture, science and technology. He believes that the cooperation between the two countries in strategic areas such as energy, oil and gas, building materials and so on, is not only currently successful but also has a bright future.

Ambassador Buhoara expressed his hope for a more pro-active attitude from the business communities in both countries. Encouraging and supporting the business community should be a part of a strategy for trade and economic exchanges, in order to allow the two countries to fulfill their potential in this area.

In order to facilitate the ever growing needs for Romanian-Vietnamese dialogue and cooperation, the Romanian language has been introduced as subject studied at Hanoi University of Foreign Studies and young Vietnamese are now studying in Romania. As a result, a growing number of Vietnamese students are studying in Bucharest, Ploiesti and other Romanian Universities, and Romanian students are studying in Hanoi University.

Another important dimension of the Romania – Viet Nam cooperation is between writers. Every year, the Viet Nam Writers Association and the Romanian Writes Union exchange delegations and projects are underway in this field of activity.

New channels of cultural exchanges have been opened with the Centre for Romania-Viet Nam Culture and Friendship being one of them. A growing cooperation is also developing between the National Television Stations of the two countries. They have signed a Cooperation Agreement which is now being implemented.

He claimed that the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is an excellent opportunity to give a new dimension to the relations between the countries, to enable them to make better use of their potential in economic terms. Bilateral relations have good prospects because both countries are interested in re-launching cooperation between them, as this is a common aspiration of our governments and peoples.