Congratulations to newly-elected Turkish parliament speaker hinh anh 1Former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was elected as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly.(Photo: Worldbulletin)

Hanoi (VNA) –
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on July 16 sent congratulatory messages to former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on his election as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly.

Vietnam and Turkey officially set up diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978. In February 1997, Turkey established its embassy in Hanoi. In October 1999, Vietnam opened a Trade Representative Office in Istanbul and in July 2002, Vietnam launched its Consulate General, also in Istanbul. The Consulate General was upgraded to the embassy and moved to Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, in October 2003.

Turkey is Vietnam’s leading trade partner in the Middle East. The bilateral trade has increased over the years, exceeding 2 billion USD in 2017, of which 1.9 billion USD came solely from Vietnam’s exports.

Turkey currently runs 16 investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of more than 1 billion USD.

In June 2016, Turkish Airlines opened a flight route connecting Hanoi and Istanbul via Ho Chi Minh City with seven flights per week. Previously, the two countries had signed agreements on aviation, maritime transportation, and double tax avoidance.-VNA
VNA