Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet on May 10 began a two-day visit to the Republic of Kalmykia at the invitation of President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

President Triet was greeted at the airport by President Ilyumzhinov, Prime Minister Oleg Kichikov and Chairman of the Parliament Kozachko.

The Kalmyk leaders said the first-ever Kalmykia visit of President Triet, which took place at a time when the Russian Federation was celebrating the 65 th anniversary of victory against fascism, marked a historical event for Kalmykia.

During their talks, President Ilyumzhinov told his Vietnamese counterpart that Kalmykia boasts huge oil and gas reserves, therefore the two nations could cooperate in producing fertilisers for Vietnam ’s agricultural sector.

Kalmykia and Vietnam could also join hands to grow rice for sales to and boost Vietnam ’s rice export to the Russian Federation and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, known as SNG, he said.

President Ilyumzhinov said Kalmykia is able to act as a gateway for the flow of Vietnamese goods to enter the Russian and European markets as his country has international seaports at Caspi and is located on roads and railways to central Asian nations, the Ukraine and Russia .

The Kalmyk President said he previously asked the Russian Federation ’s immigration agency to permit a large number of Vietnamese workers to work at garment companies in Kalmykia.

He also proposed the two nations build a Vietnamese street in Kalmykia to gather overseas Vietnamese who are living and working in the country.

President Triet spoke highly of President Ilyumzhinov’s proposals, saying that the strategic relations and time-honoured friendship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation will facilitate Vietnam-Kalmykia cooperation in oil and gas, agriculture and labour.

The Vietnamese President said cooperation in fertiliser production and agriculture is feasible and pledged to ask the Foreign Ministry and other concerned agencies of Vietnam to work out specific projects so that the two countries could sign during President Ilyumzhinov’s visit to Vietnam in the near future.

President Triet told his host that he will urge the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs to consider carefully President Ilyumzhinov’s suggestion to send Vietnamese workers to Kalmykia.

During his trip, President Triet visited the Radonet secondary school and met with overseas Vietnamese who are living and studying in Volgagrad province.

He paid a call at the international chess village and witnessed the signing of an agreement between President Ilyumzhinov, who is also President of the World Chess Federation, and the Thang Long Xanh Company to build a chess palace in Hanoi .

On the afternoon of May 12 (local time), President Triet will leave Kalmykia for an official visit to the Republic of Belarus at the invitation of President Alexander Lukasenco./.