Dear Excellency Ambassador Mumtaz Baloch, Additional Secretary Asia Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan,our Chief Guesttoday;

Excellency Atadjan Movlamov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan, Dean of Dip Corp;

Excellencies, Chargé d’affaires from ASEAN member countries Missions;

Excellencies,Chargé d’affaires, representatives of international organizationsin Pakistan;

Representatives from Pakistan’s Ministries, Provinces, Business circles, Academies, Medias,

        Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thank to Your Excellency Additional Secretary Mumtaz Baloch and to you all for attendingthe77thanniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam today.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep and profound sympathy, heartfelt condolences over the loss of more than 1000 lives resulted from the unprecedented floods, calamities in Pakistan recently. We all stand with Pakistan at this challenging time when International Community and all friends of Pakistan are making all possible support to the people and Government of Pakistan. We hope Pakistan and its people will soon overcome these natural catastrophes.

Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,

77 years ago, on 2 September 1945, President Ho Chi Minh, who has been honored by UNESCO as National Liberation Hero and World’s Cultural Celebrity, read the Declaration of Independenceofficially giving birth to Viet Nam Democratic Republic, now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

Over the past 77 years, under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party, with the spirit of “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”,Viet Nam in the Ho Chi Minh ERA overcame many difficulties and challenges to maintain its independence and unification and achieved many proud construction and development achievements.

From the strong reforming spirit of “Doi Moi” 1986, with persistent efforts, Viet Nam from a country ravaged by wars, underdeveloped, with limited foreign relations… has now risen to become a developing economy, people’s living standards are improved; Social and political stability; national defense and security are guaranteed; foreign policy and international integration are deepening.

With an average annual GDP growth of about 7% over the past 36 years, today, Viet Nam ranks among the Top 40 economies with the largest GDP in the world, and the Top 16 most successful emerging economies. Viet Nam is a convergence of tens of thousands of investors from 140 countries and territories with a total investment of nearly 430 billion USD.

In 2021, the total trade turnover reached a record level, about 670 billion USD, an increase of nearly 23%. Viet Nam has joined 15 FTAs, including new generation FTAs, such as CPTPP, EVFTA, RCEP, etc. with high standards and open market incentives, helping Viet Nam to easily access the markets of 60 countries and territory.

From the beginning of 2022 until now, Viet Nam has well controlled the epidemic, stabilized socio-political conditions, the economy is recovering quickly, GDP in the first 6 months of 2022 increased by 6.42%, inflation was controlled at around 2,44 % compared to same period 2021, major balances in food and energy… People’s living standards have beenimproved, social security has been actively implemented.

Viet Nam belongs to the group of countries with a high level of HDI on human development. Viet Nam has completed ahead of time many of the MDG-2015 Millennium Development Goals and is making efforts to implement the United Nations’ SDG-2030 Sustainable Development Goals; implementing COP26 commitments on reducing emissions…

Viet Nam has increasingly opened foreign relation, has established diplomatic relations with 190 countries; has close relations with neighboring countries; established long-term stable relationship with 30 strategic and comprehensive partners. We have successfully completed the tasks of APEC Year 2017, North Korea-US Summit Host Country 2019, ASEAN Chair 2020, Non-Permanent Member, United Nations Security Council 2020-2021.

Recently, with high trust, Viet Nam joined the Executive Council of UNESCO 2021-2025 and was re-elected to the International Law Commission. Soldiers of the Viet Nam People’s Army and Viet Nam People’s Public Security have participated in peacekeeping operations with many positive results, which are highly appreciated by the international community…

During the COVID-19 epidemic, Viet Nam continues to deepen its relationship with many partners, to conduct sincere diplomacy “from heart to heart”, to contribute to the strategic confidence building and to stick to a peaceful and independent foreign policy, beingreliable, responsible,proactivepartner always.

Ladies and Gentlemen and Friends,

The international situation has many new opportunitiesintertwined with rapid and unpredictable fluctuations, fierce geo-political competition in the region and in the world; Non-traditional security challenges in energy and food, disruption of supply chains, slowing globalization.

In that context, the 13th Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam 2021 has determined the goals and strives: by 2025, Viet Nam will be a developing country with modern industry, surpassing the low-middle income level; by 2030, to be a developing country with modern industry and high middle income; and by 2045, become a developed, high-income country.

Viet Nam consistently implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; diversify and multilateralism foreign relations; respect the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality, cooperation for mutual benefits;carry out the activecomprehensiveinternationalintegrationwith the platform ofViet Nam is a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of the international community.

On each of the past journeys, in obtainingimportant achievements, we always receive the supports of friends andinternational community. On this occation, I would like to express my sincere affection and deep gratitude for the valuable support, assistance and effective cooperation of countries, organizations, international partners, businesses, international investors and the sincere contribution of friends and people from the world to Viet Nam.

        Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Viet Nam and Pakistan have been enjoyed anexcellent friendship and cooperation in many fields. This year 2022, Viet Nam and Pakistan is celebrating the 50thAnniversary of Diplomatic Relations. On November 8th, 1972, Viet Nam and Pakistan officially established diplomatic relations, opening a new page in friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Being here today we have Ambassador Tariq Osman Hyder, the first Pakistani Diplomat going to Viet Nam aloneto open and set up the mission in 1971with many difficulties he faced and shared with Vietnamese people in our challenging time, we have Ambassadors to Viet NamAmbassador Salahuddin Choudhry, Ambassador Shahid Kiani and Ambassador Zaigham Uddin Azam who greatly contributed to the relations between the two countries in recent decades, and I would like to have your big hands to them please.

Over the past 50 years, the Viet Nam-Pakistan relationship has witnessedencouraging developments in many fields, including politial, trade and investment, technology, cultural and people and people exchange…

Regarding political relations, the two countries exchanged many VVIP,high-leveldelegations, notably the fresh meeting between the ForeignMinisters of the two countries when attending the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia on 4thof August this year….Viet Nam and Pakistan also actively support each other in international forums and United Nation’s bodies.The agreements and common perceptions between oursenior leaders have created an important premise for the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Currently, Viet Nam and Pakistan are preparing to organize the third Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) and the fifth Joint Misterial Commission (JMC) andJoint Trade Commission (JTC).

In term of economic and trade, notably, the trade volume between Pakistan and Viet Nam has increased from 54 million USD in 2005 to more than 700 million USD in 2017 and reached to more than US$ 794 million in 2021, increase  54.41% to compare to 2020.

However, it is still very low as compared to the huge potentials of the both sides with nearly 330 million people/consumers and many other complementary advantages, such as agriculture products, pharmacy, manufacturing industries, garments and textiles, sea foods, Halal foods… and many others.

Viet Nam and Pakistan has been signed a remarkable number ofMoUs and Agreements in many fields and they are very significant foundations for further enhancement of the relation. And it is the time for us to implement, to bring into play and realize substantively all the huge potentialsfor the sake of our peoples and countries.

I always remind myself that I am here with the assignments from our State, Party, Government and Vietnamese people to  boost up the relations comprehensively and in all fields, to those goals, we need to elevate people to people contact, strengthen mutual understandings between our peoples, it is the key for the development of our bilateral cooperation relations. And it is very feasible, I am sure, why? The reason is that, despite of difficulties, obstacles, Ambassador Osman Hyder came to Ha Noi Viet Nam as a first Pakistani diplomat for the beginning of our diplomatic relations journey together, and now why not any citizen of our two countries be a diplomat in his/her fields, and why not any of our diplomat of Viet Nam Embassy here in Islamabad and your diplomat in Hanoi be a facilitator, an implementer for the cause of bridging our peoples closer, of creating more and more value added in our traditional and friendly relations, it is absolutely possible.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are living in an era of globalization, full of rapid and unpredictable changes. Most extraordinarily, the emergence and outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional and non-traditional security challenges, such as conflicts in many areas, climate change…

Notably the climate change, extreme natural disasters that we are witnessing here in Pakistan and other parts of the globe put severe impacts on the peoples and the countries all over the world, the climate change is not a problem of a single people or country, like in Pakistan now, it is, as UN SG Antonio Guterres said few days ago, “Climate change today is the problem of Pakistan and tomorrow it will be your country problem”. That is we are all interlinked in all issues of above mentioned difficulties and also interlinked in all our success, development and achievements.

Viet Nam hopes to join hands with Pakistan and all other countries to address traditional and non-traditional security challenges, foster globalization and international integration and connectivity, and work towards a green, clean world of more sustainable, inclusive and humanistic development. Viet Nam focuses on discussing and forging consensus on matters of importance related to peace, security and development in the world and the region, including cooperation to combat COVID-19 and yes the issue of climate change.

I look forward to closely working with all of you for common interest and for peace, cooperation, development, and for the common good and prosperity of all nations in the world.

I wish you all, Chief Guest, Pakistani friends, Excellencies, Ambassadors, Heads of missions and Chief Representatives, and all distinguished guests good health, happiness and success.