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Med-Or looks East and starts a new collaboration with Vietnam
On 12 June, Med-Or foundation signed a collaboration agreement with the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Please click here to read the full text of the article, from Formiche.net
The signing, on 12 June, of a collaboration agreement between Med-Or and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Pacific signals a move by the foundation towards the Indo-Pacific and the start of a collaboration with Vietnam.
A body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, the Academy carries out strategic studies on international relations and foreign politics, and offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as training courses for employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It focuses on international economic, political, security and defence issues. It has an advisory role to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and is in charge of developing international relations theories for the country, based on its national history and in cooperation with other academies, universities and research centres nationwide.
This is the first agreement of this kind signed by Med-Or with an institution of a Far-East country. In line with its mission, Med-Or promotes activities with countries even beyond the Broader Mediterranean. In fact, with this agreement, the Foundation aims to gain a solid foothold in strategic areas such as South and South-East Asia. Since its birth, the Foundation has always shown interest towards these areas, by trying to expand its operations beyond the Mediterranean and Africa – areas in which the organisation has already developed projects successfully.
Through this agreement, Med-Or can strengthen its international presence and its links with the Far East, an area of growing interest for Italy.
The collaboration with Vietnam is part of a broader framework of initiatives carried out by Med-Or with the aim to support executive training, scientific, academic and research cooperation, but also the promotion of the Italian language, intercultural dialogue and a deeper understanding of issues of great strategic relevance.
This is the last in a long list of agreements that Med-Or has already signed with other research and training institutions in Broader Mediterranean countries, including, most recently, Israel, Lebanon, Niger, Qatar, Somalia and Turkey.
Defined by some experts “the small China”, Vietnam is currently going through a period of strong growth – not just in economic terms. In this new new phase of development, the country is emerging as an increasingly important economic player and regional power, alongside the already consolidated “Asian Tigers” (South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan) and other emerging countries like Indonesia, Malesia and Thailand.
Having left behind the wars and poverty which affected the country for a large part of the 20th century, Vietnam is now a major political player in South-East Asia, trying to open a dialogue with European countries, including Italy, and build up more solid relations with them.
These relations are not limited to the industrial and commercial sectors, but extend to areas which are strategic for Italian companies and institutions, especially in the scientific and academic sphere. This is why, in the past few years, various Italian Universities have been looking for partnerships with Vietnamese counterparts.
The agreement provides Med-Or with an opportunity to strengthen its abilities not only in the area of research and strategic analysis – including through international partnerships – but also in cultural promotion and training, through programmes ranging from scholarships in Italian Universities and executive training for experienced professionals to financing educational activities in developing countries.
As recently noted at the first meeting of the foundation’s International Board – a body composed of high-level individuals from about 25 different countries – Med-Or has the ability to link its project-driven capacity – with many international projects already underway or about to start – with a natural inclination towards relations, with cultural and scientific diplomacy initiatives promoted in collaboration with Italian academic and scientific institutions. These initiatives are increasingly important also in support of Italy’s international activities. The collaboration between Med-Or and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam can create opportunities that can be put at the service of both countries.
