PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 2 met with President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh who is paying a State visit to Vietnam from November 1 - 5 at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong.
At the meeting, PM Chinh hailed the significance of the visit of the Mongolian President to Vietnam when the two countries are to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2024, stressing that it will take the bilateral traditional friendship to a new, practical and effective stage of development.
For his part, President Khurelsukh emphasised that the Mongolian Government always values the traditional friendship between Mongolia and Vietnam, considering Vietnam its most important cooperation partner in Southeast Asia.
Host and guest expressed their pleasure about the substantial developments in cooperative relations between the two countries in recent years, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economy, defence, security, and agriculture.
Discussing specific measures to enhance cooperation across the fields, PM Chinh suggested further promoting the role of the Vietnam - Mongolia Intergovernmental Committee mechanism; and result-oriented cooperation between businesses, localities, and people of the two countries.
He said the two countries should continue to boost two-way trade by opening the market to each other's goods. He asked Mongolia to create favourable conditions for Vietnam's key agricultural and aquatic products to enter the Mongolian market, towards the goal of doubling bilateral trade turnover to 200 million USD in the coming years.
The PM also urged the two sides to increase trade and investment promotion activities, expand cooperation in the field of strategic minerals and organise business connection activities.
Chinh welcomed the opening of direct flights between the two countries and the signing of an agreement on visa exemption for ordinary passport holders between the two countries, which create favourable conditions to promote their tourism and trade cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges.
Agreeing with Chinh, President Khurelsukh affirmed that strengthening comprehensive and extensive cooperation with Vietnam is a top priority in Mongolia's foreign policy in the region.
He said Mongolia wishes to further strengthen and expand cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of politics, defence, security, economy - trade, education, science and technology, transportation, logistics, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as at multilateral forums and mechanisms.
Mongolia hopes the two countries will establish a new relationship framework commensurate with the good relationship between the two countries on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations in 2024, he said.
In the context of the rapid, complex and unpredictable developments in the world and the region, the two sides agreed to continue to cooperate closely and support each other at international and regional forums of mutual interest. They shared a common perspective on ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; maintaining a peaceful, stable environment and legal order; and resolving maritime disputes by peaceful means in compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)./.
