Bolivia wants to beef up cooperation with Vietnam in trade, investment and agriculture and coordinate with the country at international and regional forums.

Visiting Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera made the statement at the talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Doan in Hanoi on Sept. 25 following the official welcome ceremony the same day.

Doan described the first official visit to Vietnam by the Bolivian high-ranking State delegation as an important milestone and new impetus for promoting the two countries’ relations.

Vietnam attaches importance to and wants to develop friendship and cooperation with Bolivia for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and the world at large, she said.

Doan said Vietnam and Bolivia share many similarities in history and proposed Bolivia to recognise the market economy status for Vietnam at an early date. Both sides should continue supporting each other at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

For his part, the Bolivian leader, who is visiting Vietnam from Sept. 24-26, highly valued Vietnam ’s position and international prestige as well as its great achievements in renewal and national development.

He pledged to consider to push up the recognition and said he hopes that Vietnam will share experiences in renewal, hunger eradication and poverty reduction and socio-economic development.

The two leaders agreed on measures to promote their countries’ future cooperative relations, including high-ranking meetings, increasing the exchange between the ministries, sectors and businesses to implement cooperation projects, and the early establishment of inter-sectoral agencies to speed up specific cooperation programmes. In the immediate future, both sides will accelerate the preparation for the signing of an agreement on investment encouragement and protection and double taxation avoidance.

After the talks, Doan and her guest witnessed the signing of an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders and a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries.

The same day, Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera was received by President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. He also met with Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang.

In the evening, Doan hosted a banquet in honour of the Bolivian delegation, which is scheduled to meet with leaders of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and visit a number of cultural establishments in the country.-VNA