Seminar highlights 25 years of Vietnam-Azerbaijan ties

 

Hanoi (VNA) – The 25-year history of Vietnam–Azerbaijan diplomatic relationship and prospects for bilateral ties were the main themes of a conference in Hanoi on September 13 on the occasion of the visit by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.  

In his opening speech, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said he was proud of Azerbaijan’s support for Vietnam in education-training and oil and gas.

He said there is great potential for bilateral cooperation and suggested that the two countries should expand economic and trade ties.  

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, for his part, said Vietnam always gives priority to developing ties with traditional friends, with Azerbaijan among them.

According to him, the two countries hold huge potential of working together in energy, agriculture, tourism and education, while the bilateral partnership in oil and gas should be made the spearhead of their economic cooperation.

Participants agreed that Vietnam and Azerbaijan enjoyed a traditional friendship dating back to the time of the Soviet Union.

Entering a new stage, the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992, and since then, they have seen their relations thriving via the regular exchange of high-level visits, the signing and effective implementation of cooperation agreements and mutual support at regional and global forums.

Two-way trade recently saw encouraging improvement, hitting 114 million USD in the first half of 2017, doubling that recorded in same period last year. There remains room for collaboration across energy, agriculture, education and tourism.

Participants proposed ideas to further increase bilateral ties in politics, economy, trade, investment, energy and legal affairs.

They shared the view that with the determination of two countries’ leaders and peoples, bilateral friendship and multifaceted cooperation will further propel forward to meet their aspirations.-VNA