Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has told his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha that his official visit to Vietnam right after taking office is a vivid manifestation of the two countries’ strategic partnership.

At the talks with Prayuth Chan-ocha in Hanoi on November 27, the Vietnamese PM said he believes that the visit will contribute importantly and practically to tightening the Vietnam-Thailand traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

Both said with delight that the bilateral relationship has been growing continuously in all fields, especially after it was lifted to strategic partnership during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s Thailand visit in June 2013.

The two sides agreed to continue close coordination, speed up high-ranking delegation exchanges and effectively carry out such bilateral cooperative mechanisms such as joint cabinet meetings and the Vietnam-Thailand bilateral cooperation committee.

They said they will direct ministries, sectors and localities to well implement signed agreements and expand cooperation towards facilitating investment and trade activities in order to gross 15 billion USD in two-way trade by 2020.

Vietnam appreciates Thailand’s efforts in its role as a coordinator for the ASEAN-China relations, which have contributed to maintaining the bloc’s common voice and solidarity in the East Sea issue, said the host.

Both sides were also unanimous in working together to address disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and accelerate the negotiation on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

The Thai leader invited PM Nguyen Tan Dung to attend the Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit in Thailand in December, 2014 and co-chair the third joint cabinet meeting in 2015.

After the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of three cooperation documents, including the 2014-2016 action programme on the implementation of the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership, the two countries’ cultural cooperation programme for 2014-2016 and a cooperation agreement between the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Thailand’s Chachongsao province./.