Vietnam’s consistent policy is to consolidate and develop the friendship and cooperation with the Ukraine, considering it one of the priorities in the country’s foreign affairs.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the affirmation while meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev on the morning of October 5 (local time).

According to the Vietnamese Government leader, during his visit the two sides will discuss the implementation of agreements between the two countries, especially those signed during the Ukrainian President’s visit to Vietnam in March, 2011.

The two sides will deliberate ways to improve bilateral cooperation, particularly in economics, trade and investment, and enhance the operations of the Vietnam-Ukraine Intergovernmental Committee for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

The two sides will also discuss measures to complete legal foundations for cooperation in areas of their strengths and facilitate the exchange of goods between the two countries, he added.

PM Dung stressed that Vietnam is ready to create conditions for Ukrainian businesses to invest in Vietnam in such fields as shipbuilding, craft manufacturing, energy and agriculture.

He expressed his wish that the two sides will continue expanding cooperation in designing and building power projects, besides upgrading existing power plants built with assistance from the Ukraine and the Soviet Union .

The PM suggested President Viktor Yanukovych continue creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses and the Vietnamese community to live in the Ukraine as well as step up cooperation in education and training, culture, science and technology.

For his part, the Ukrainian President said the visit will create a new momentum for fostering the traditional friendship between the two countries by outlining new cooperative programmes, especially in economics, trade and investment.

Emphasising the great potential for bilateral cooperation, the President affirmed that the Ukraine is willing to cooperate and support Vietnam in areas of the country’s strengths such as oil and gas, mineral processing, science and technology, space science, power generator manufacturing, security and defence.

He also expressed his wish to receive Vietnam ’s support for the Ukraine at international and regional forums.

President Yanukovych praised Vietnamese people who are living, studying and working in many cities in the Ukraine and affirmed that the Ukrainian State and Government always create the most favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community, to match the fine relations between the two countries.

Meeting with the Ukrainian Parliament Chairman, Vladimir Litvin, PM Dung expressed his pleasure at the ongoing development of cooperation between the parliaments of Vietnam and the Ukraine, especially after the Vietnam visit by the Ukrainian Chairman in December 2010, which opened a new period for the enhancement of cooperation between the two legislative bodies as well as in friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

PM Dung also expressed his wish that the Ukrainian parliament would actively boost bilateral cooperation by giving necessary legal assistance to enable agreements reached between the two countries’ leaders to be implemented soon, as well as supervising the implementation of agreements signed between the two governments and boosting cooperation between localities of the two countries.

Chairman Litvin expressed his wish that the two parliaments would continue exchanging delegations and experience in lawmaking and supervision and coordinating with each other at international forums.

He affirmed the Ukrainian parliament’s support through necessary legal assistance to implement agreements reached between the two countries’ leaders as well as supervision of the implementation of agreements signed between the two governments.

The same day, PM Dung laid a wreath at the monument to unknown soldiers and met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister K. Grishenko and General Director of the Ukrainian Energy Agency Romanhenco Igor./.