Vietnamese Ambassador Phung The Long has expressed optimism about his country’s economy, politics and investment climate as well as bilateral relations with Qatar as Vietnam celebrates its New Year. He was speaking at an early reception held for the Vietnamese community to usher in the traditional Lunar New Year. The community will mark New Year’s Day on January 26, a day after the Chinese celebration. Ambassador Long burned joss sticks in memory of Ho Chi Minh, the founding father of Vietnam, and thanked the Vietnamese community for its support since the establishment of the Vietnamese mission here in March last year. “We look forward to the best in 2009. We know that the year 2009 will be very difficult but we are very much determined to gain success,” Long said, adding that welfare of the poor people will be at the forefront of the government’s priorities when it puts forward its resolution to develop the economy. Reflecting on the past year, the ambassador positively detailed Vietnam’s achievements. He noted that the country was able to resiliently counter the adverse effects of the global crisis and post a number of remarkable feats. A 6.23 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP), $67m in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which is three times the figure for 2007, and 1.5 million new jobs were some of Vietnam’s achievements in the previous year. “The number of poor households has been considerably reduced and Vietnam is one of the few countries which have achieved the millennium goals of the UN,” the ambassador said. He attributed these successes to right government policies and the efforts of the entire Vietnamese population working in one accord. “With the right policies, investors have been very much confident with the investment environment in Vietnam. They have recognized the dynamics of the economy with 86 million people and they see Vietnam as a strategic partner,” he noted. Ambassador Long looks forward to furthering the strong relations between Qatar and Vietnam. Several steps have been taken to improve Vietnam’s relations with Qatar, including the signing of a labour agreement and a number of ventures between Qatari and Vietnamese companies. “In 2009, I hope the development momentum in Qatar and Vietnam would further push through in different aspects like the economy, politics, and investment. We look forward to the visit of our president to Qatar as well as the visit of the Emir to Vietnam,” he said. “This will be the second year of the implementation of the agreement between Qatar and Vietnam. We hope that more Vietnamese will come to Qatar to make contribution to the development of Qatar,” he added. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=January2009&file=Local_News2009012432933.xml

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