Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit is an important opportunity to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Vietnam in 2015, Prime Minister John Key said in a press release issued by the New Zealand Foreign Ministry on March 16.

“The relationship between our two countries is growing increasingly important and the visit by one of the largest-ever delegations from Vietnam to New Zealand is evidence of that,” he said.

According to the press release, the Vietnamese leader and a delegation of more than 100 senior ministers and business leaders will arrive in Auckland on March 19 for events, including a bilateral meeting with John Key and senior ministers as well as meetings with New Zealand business leaders.

“Vietnam is New Zealand’s fastest-growing export market in South East Asia and export volumes continue to grow at pace;” The New Zea
land PM stressed, adding that during the visit, the two sides will celebrate their growing relationship and discuss how to build on that in areas such as education, agriculture and United Nations peacekeeping cooperation.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung is scheduled to fly home on March 20, concluding the Asia-Pacific tour which also takes him to Australia on March 17-18.-VNA