Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and the Republic of Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long (second from right), Minister of State at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Sean Fleming (centre), and first Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Dublin Patrick Gerard McKillen (second from left) cut the symbolic ribbon to inaugurate the Honorary Consulate Office. (Photo: VNA)

London (VNA) - The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK held a ceremony on July 11 to inaugurate the Honorary Consulate Office of Vietnam in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland.

Earlier, in May, Patrick Gerard McKillen, a renowned Irishbusinessman with many years of attachment with Vietnam, was appointed as the firstHonorary Consul of Vietnam in Dublin.

In his opening speech at the inauguration ceremony, VietnameseAmbassador to the UK and the Republic of Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long believed that theopening of the Honorary Consulate Office was an important step towards furtherenhancing the effectiveness of political, trade, investment, educational,scientific, and technological relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Ireland, helping to maintain and deepen the friendship between theirpeople.

The bilateral trade, investment, and people-to-peopleexchanges have been on the rise. The Republic of Ireland provided about 5.6 million EUR in ODA forVietnam in 2021, and around 6.3 million EUR in 2022. There is a growing numberof Vietnamese students interested in pursuing higher education in the European nation.

Sean Fleming, Minister of State at the Irish Department ofForeign Affairs, said over the past 27 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two nationshave cooperated closely and achieved many accomplishments. The Republic of Ireland always considers Vietnam an importantpartner in Asia, he affirmed.

In 2022, Vietnam-Ireland trade exceeded 985 million EUR,and Ireland hopes to see this trend continue developing and to capitalise on potentialto strengthen the bilateral commercial ties. Fleming emphasised that theinauguration of the Honorary Consulate Office would be an important milestone to consolidate and further promotethe relationship.

Honorary Consul Patrick Gerard McKillen expressed his honor to hold the post,committing to spare no efforts in carring out functions and tasks assigned tothe consulate.

The office is set to carry out citizen protection affairs, supportthe Vietnamese community in the Republic of Ireland, enhance the introduction and promotion ofVietnam and its people in Dublin in particular and the Republic of Ireland in general, helping to foster the bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.

On this occasion, Long also had a meeting withrepresentatives of the Vietnamese expatriate community in the Republic of Ireland, which consistsof about 5,000 people, and visited꧙ Minh Tam Pagoda – the first Vietnamesetemple in the country, which was inaugurated in May this year𓆉./.