Israeli ambassador to Vietnam, Meirav Eilon Shahar
It has been a great journey for me being here in Vietnam for almost 5 years. I have seen the country change and I truly feel my work here has contributed positively to this change. As a diplomat I always try to look for opportunities for both countries, to see what we can do together, and how I, through my work, can be part of a change that is taking place in a country.
Supporting Vietnamese start-ups
In 2016-2017, we were pleased to welcome more than 700 Vietnamese students to Israel, through our MASHAV – the Israeli international development cooperation program as well as through agriculture internship programs. Israel is proud to be a partner of Vietnam in knowledge sharing and in the transfer of know-how and best practices. As we believe human resource is key to the sustainable development of any country, Israel has been providing capacity building and training programs to Vietnam in multiple fields.
When I look for example at the startups in this country, looking back to 2012-2013, I knew that Israel, as a leader of startups in the world, as an innovator, can assist Vietnam in taking this path. I believe it is crucial for Vietnam’s economy. Today in 2017, it is great to see the changes - the government is formulating policies to support it, but, more importantly, there are more and more startups being established by the younger generation who are willing to take a risk, a chance and follow their dreams.
Looking towards to free-trade agreement
The bilateral relationship has progressed rapidly in the recent years, with both nations exchanging high-level visits and extending cooperation across many fields, including trade. According to statistics from the Israeli Economy Ministry, trade turnover between the two countries is growing quickly at 2.1 billion USD in 2016, with Israeli exports to Vietnam reach around 1.5 billion USD while imports from Vietnam stood at around 655 million USD.
I was very pleased to welcome H.E President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin on his official State visit just one month ago. The visit has firmly cemented the political, economic and defence ties between both our nations.
President Rivlin and the accompanying business delegation came to Vietnam in the belief that by combining Israeli technology and know-how with Vietnamese creativity and productivity, the two countries could contribute to improving the quality of life of many people around the world. As the fruits of such cooperation, President Rivlin cited state of the art technology in agriculture, water management technology, education, national security, hi-tech and cyber. We believe trade will continue to increase in the coming years, with both countries committed to reaching a free-trade agreement by 2018.
I feel very proud of the years I have served here, the people I met, the sounds and colours, the inspiration I received here to work even harder to promote Vietnam and Israel.
With much potential waiting to be fulfilled, I am confident that our cooperation and friendship will continue to evolve for the mutual benefit of both our nations and for generations to come. I would like to wish everyone in Vietnam good health and prosperity on this occasion – as we say in the Hebrew language "Yom Haatzmaunt Sameach" – “Happy Independence Day”.
