Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on November 19 had separate meetings with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung-bak and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN Summit and related summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

During their meeting, Dung and Lee expressed pleasure at the recent results of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in trade, investment and labour.

The two sides have coordinated in organising a wide range of activities celebrating the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Year and the 20 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, helping strengthen mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two peoples as well as laying firm foundations for improving bilateral relations.

The PM affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is willing to join hands with the RoK to further elevate the strategic partnership between the two countries.

He suggested the RoK Government continues to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods, particularly agricultural products, to enter the RoK market, steadily balancing two-way trade.

The two sides should work harder towards the prompt signing of a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation, he added.

Lee affirmed that RoK considers Vietnam as its most important strategic partner in the region, and will coordinate with the Southeast Asian country in speeding up the satisfactory settlement of issues of concern.

In another meeting, Dung and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak said they are pleased with the development of the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and agreed to bring the relationship to a strategic partnership.

The PMs agreed that both sides should organise the fifth session of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation as well as assign their relevant agencies to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in trans-national crime prevention and an agreement on establishing a joint sea patrol system and a liaison channel between the two navies.

The two sides agreed to create conditions for their businesses to strengthen investment and cooperation in areas of mutual strength.

They promised close coordination in the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement in which both are taking part.

The Malaysian King will visit Vietnam in 2013, says Najib Razak.-VNA