Swiss President praises Vietnam's potential

Swiss President Pascal Couchepin has praised Vietnam's potential for economic growth and described bilateral and economic relations with the Asian country as excellent, local media reported.

Vietnam has a particularly dynamic economy, with an average economic growth of seven to eight percent each year, said Swissinfo network, an enterprise of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

Vietnam is currently undergoing a period of high inflation, but both President Couchepin and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Minh Triet said they were confident that the country would overcome its problems.

President Couchepin, who was on a visit to Vietnam from August 3-6, pointed to the "impressive rise" in the volume of foreign investment in the country in the first months of 2008 as a sign of this.

"Vietnam remains a country of the future. It has the potential for extraordinary growth which merits the interest of private investors," the Swiss president was quoted saying.

He added that Switzerland has always been present during the various stages of Vietnam's economic development and in Vietnam's fight for independence.

VNA

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