General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko at a press conference in Minsk city (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko began a State visit to Vietnam on December 9, at the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang.
The visit is expected to promote traditional friendship and multi-faceted links between the two countries.
During the visit, the two sides will review the implementation of signed agreements, while discussing strategies to spur economic and trade ties, especially after the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement comes into effect.
Vietnam and Belarus set up their diplomatic relationship in January 1992. Belarus opened its embassy in Vietnam in 1998, while Vietnam’s embassy was set up in Belarus five years later.
They maintain regular exchanges of high-ranking delegations as well as close links and mutual support at the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other forums and international organisations.
Two-way trade in the first eight months of this year hit 95.8 million USD. Vietnam’s exports to Belarus include aquatic products, wooden products, textiles, footwear, rice, natural rubber, peanuts, cashews, tea, canned fruit and vegetables, pharmaceuticals and computers, while it imports fertilizer, machinery, automobile spare parts, trucks and chemicals from Belarus.-VNA
