Establishing friendly cooperation relationship between Nghe An and Edessa (Greece)

On the afternoon of April 13, a delegation of leaders of Edessa city (Greece) led by Mr. Anastasios Diou - Deputy Mayor of the city visited and worked in Nghe An. Welcoming the delegation from Nghe An province were Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; representatives of the departments and branches: Foreign Affairs, Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Tourism, and the Provincial Investment Promotion and Support Center. Photo: My Nga

At the meeting, on behalf of the provincial leaders, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa summarized some information about the socio-economic development situation of the province.

GDP growth rate in 2017 reached 8.25%, gross regional domestic product (GRDP) reached about 3.3 billion USD. Export turnover in 2017 reached 690 million USD, mainly on agricultural products, seafood, white limestone powder, textiles, etc. However, Nghe An's goods are not yet present in the Greek market, so there is a great need for connection and cooperation in the future.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa emphasized that the visit of the Edessa City delegation to Nghe An this time could open up opportunities for cooperation and investment between Nghe An province and Edessa in many fields, including culture, tourism, services, and trade.

In particular, Nghe An's advantages and potentials are abundant resources, large reserves; developed and friendly tourism environment; industrial zones and clusters with investment in building infrastructure for transportation, electricity, water; synchronous telecommunications information can best serve production and business.

In addition, the western region of the province has a large area, suitable for investment in developing high-tech agriculture.

"Nghe An really hopes that investors from Edessa in particular and Greece in general will be interested in investing in Nghe An in the fields of industry and mining. In particular, Nghe An wants to learn from Edessa's experience in tourism" - the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed.

Through the working trip of the Edessa City delegation, Nghe An Province proposed that Nam Dan District, the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh, and Cua Lo Town establish a friendly and cooperative relationship with Edessa City. These are localities with strengths in tourism, welcoming about 2 million visitors annually.

Edessa is 542 km north of Athens, next to Thesaloniki - the second largest city in Greece. With a history of more than 3000 years, the hometown of Alexander the Great, Edessa is one of the most beautiful cities in Greece, possessing many beautiful natural landscapes such as Karanos waterfall, the largest in the Balkans. Every year, it welcomes 300,000 tourists.

Edessa is also a place for the production and export of Greek fruits and fruit products, of which cherries are famous, accounting for 90% of Greece's cherry exports.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa presented a souvenir to the Deputy Mayor of Edessa City. Photo: My Nga

After listening to the introduction of the provincial leaders, Deputy Mayor of Edessa City Anastasios Diou thanked Nghe An province for the warm welcome.

Knowing that Nghe An is a province that is making efforts to accelerate and become a fairly developed province of Vietnam, Deputy Mayor Anastasios Diou expressed his confidence and optimism in the province's development potential.

Through this visit and work, the Deputy Mayor also suggested plans for cooperation, exchange, and learning about culture and people between Edessa and Nghe An in the near future.

Coming from a famous tourist city in Greece, Deputy Mayor Anastasios Diou believes that connecting tourism - Nghe An's outstanding potential - is a noteworthy direction, and Edessa is ready to advise and support Nghe An in this field.

The visit opens up opportunities for friendly cooperation and development between Nghe An and Edessa in the future. Photo: My Nga

At the end of the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Hoa expressed his thanks and suggested quickly promoting the signing of a memorandum to expand cooperation between Nghe An and Edessa.

In particular, establishing a friendly and cooperative relationship between a district/town of Nghe An and Edessa is an extremely valuable opportunity for Nghe An in the tourism sector./.