State President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived in Hanoi on Oct. 3 after attending the UN Security Council Summit and the general debate of the 64 th UN General Assembly and visiting Cuba and Chile from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3.

Vietnam and Cuba have potentials for cooperation in all sectors, including agriculture, fishery, consumer goods production, tourism, construction, oil and gas and education and training, Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung said, mentioning the President’s visit to Cuba.

During the visit, Vietnam and Cuba inked a deal to develop production in Cuba, with expectation that Cuba will have sufficient food for itself in the future.

Representatives of ministries and agencies of the two countries discussed measures to boost cooperation.

Vietnamese and Cuban entrepreneurs held a business forum which was expected to open a prospect for multifaceted cooperation in the future.

Regarding President Triet’s visit to Chile, the deputy FM said that the Vietnamese President and his counterpart Michelle Bachelet agreed to promote economic-trade cooperation in such sectors as agriculture, forestry, fishery, processing industry and mining, along with consolidating political ties.

The organising of the Vietnam-Chile business forum and the signing of cooperation agreements between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Federation of Chilean Industry (SOFOFA) opened up opportunities for strengthening cooperation between businesses of the two countries.

The two sides will work together to celebrate such important events as the 200th Independence Day of Chile, the 65th National Day of Vietnam and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in 2010 to increase solidarity and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Both Presidents expressed their determinations for the early signing of the Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is expected to usher in a new period of bilateral economic-trade ties, facilitate efforts by enterprises of the two countries to enter each other’s market and help them to expand markets in East Asia and Latin America .

This will be the first FTA Vietnam signs with a Latin American country.

Learning that tropical storm Ketsana has caused serious losses in human life and property in central and Central Highlands provinces, businessmen accompanying State President Triet contributed more than 300 million VND as relief aid to the storm victims./.