Vietnam and Ukraine should adopt measures to step up bilateral cooperation, especially in politics and foreign affairs, as well as coordination at multilateral and international fora.

That is the suggestion Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung put forward at a meeting with Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Lytvyn Volodymyr in Hanoi on December 7.

Vietnam ’s consistent policy was to further strengthen its cooperative relations with Ukraine in all spheres, the government leader said.

PM Dung said the Vietnam-Ukraine inter-governmental committee needed to work together closely to boost cooperative ties in trade, investment, the economy, culture, tourism, national defence and military techniques.

He suggested the two sides set up a business association to promote trade ties and consider the opening of a direct air route between the two countries.

The PM spoke highly of the outcomes of the earlier talks between Volodymyr and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Phu Trong, and applauded the cooperation between the two parliaments.

He proposed that the Ukrainian Government continue creating favourable conditions so that more Vietnamese citizens could study in Ukraine . Vietnam was willing to work as a bridge for Ukraine to develop relations with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he added.

The leader also thanked the Ukrainian Government for the favourable conditions it has provided for more than 10,000 Vietnamese people who are living and studying in the country. Those people, together with 8,000 others who had studied and worked in Ukraine , will foster multifaceted cooperation between the two nations, he said.

Volodymyr said the Ukraine-Vietnam friendship should be strengthened by specific and practical cooperation for mutual benefit. The two nations need to fully tap cooperation potential, particularly in aerospace technology, nuclear energy, transport, agriculture, forestry and tourism, he said.

With its experience in construction, Vietnam could engage in infrastructure development in Ukraine prior to the country hosting the European Football Championships – EURO 2012, the speaker suggested.

Ukraine and Vietnam could also cooperate in education and training to build up the contingents of professional personnel needed for knowledge-intensive industries, he said.

The speaker also expressed his hope that Ukraine would become an observer of ASEAN and enhance coordination with Vietnam in the international arena./.