To mark the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Italy , the two nations’ State and Government leaders exchanged greetings.

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 22 sent greetings to their Italian counterparts, President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Mario Monti.

The Italian leaders returned greetings to the Vietnamese leaders.

Vietnamese and Italian Foreign Affairs Ministers Pham Binh Minh and Giulio Terzi Di Sant’Agata also exchanged greetings on the occasion.

On the same day, Dung and Belgium’s Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo exchanged greetings to celebrate the 40 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.-VNA