Venezuelan president concludes visit to Vietnam

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros plays monochord, a Vietnamese traditional musical instrument during his visit to Vietnam from August 31 to September 1. (Source: VNA)

Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro Moros left Hanoi on September 1, concluding his official visit to Vietnam from August 30 to September 1 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang.

During the visit, the Venezuelan President held talks with President Truong Tan Sang and met with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong.

During their talks, the two Presidents agreed to maintain and improve the effectiveness of established bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the inter-governmental committee on economy-trade and science-technology cooperation and the political consultative mechanism between the two foreign ministries.

The two leaders also directed ministries and sectors to review and gradually finalise the bilateral legal framework via dialogues as well as sign cooperation agreements in specific fields.

The two sides agreed that the current bilateral trade value of under 100 million USD per year does not match the potential of the two complementary economies.

They agreed to direct ministries and sectors to implement the agreement on bilateral trade cooperation which took effect on July 28, 2015, while boosting cooperation on security-defence and justice.

Exchanging views on regional and international situations, the two sides agreed that sovereign and territorial disputes need to be resolved via peaceful measures with respect for international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In his meeting with President Maduro, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong appreciated the visit’s significance, considering it a lively symbol of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

The General Secretary affirmed Vietnam’s consistent external policy of treasuring cooperation with traditional friends, including Venezuela, and expressed his belief that the Venezuelan people will overcome challenges and obstacles to build a peaceful and prosperous nation.

President Maduro and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung discussed orientations and specific measures to boost bilateral cooperation, and agreed to maintain the joint committee’s meetings to exchange information and promote signed cooperation programmes as well as hold talks on new conventions and agreements in order to complete the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

They also agreed to implement recently-signed bilateral trade agreements and strive for a trade target of one billion USD.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Tong Thi Phong attached importance to the relationship with Venezuela and believed that the visit would deepen the friendly relations between the NAs and peoples of the two countries and open up new cooperation opportunities.

President Maduro also laid wreaths at the Monument to War Heroes and Martyrs and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and met with Vietnamese businesses.-VNA