Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem received visiting Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Leonard Edwards in Hanoi on April 27.

Earlier, the Canadian diplomat had a working session with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh.

At the events, the two sides said they were pleased at the active development of the two countries’ relations in the recent past and agreed to further boost cooperation in economy, trade, investment and education.

They exchanged views on issues relating to the Summit of developing and emerging countries – the G20--scheduled for June 26-27 in Toronto , Canada , as well as ASEAN-Canada relations and other issues of mutual concern.

The Vietnamese side thanked Canada as co-Chair of G20 Summit for inviting Vietnam as ASEAN Chair, to attend the event and briefed the guest on Vietnam and ASEAN’s preparations for the submission of opinions to the summit.

Deputy PM Khiem stressed that Vietnam and Canada need to boost cooperation in education and training and cultural exchanges.

Deputy FM Leonard Edwards affirmed that the Canadian Government has decided to maintain official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam to help the latter’s national development.

During his Vietnam visit, Deputy FM Edwards chaired a consultation meeting on G20 Summit in Hanoi with representatives from Asian countries, including Vietnam./.