Vietnam, Belarus eye strong cooperation prospect: President

 

 Minsk (VNA) – Long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Belarus, as well as their strong political trust, high determination of the two countries’ leaders and positive outcomes in bilateral cooperation over the past years are firm foundation for both sides to lift up their ties to a new height for mutual benefit, said President Tran Dai Quang.

In an interview granted to Belarus National State TV, the Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day official visit to Belarus, highlighted that Vietnam and Belarus hold high affiliation prospect in a strong, dynamic and more effective manner in the future.

Important agreements in economic and trade, including the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union free trade agreement and the Vietnam-Belarus protocol on supporting the production of motored transport vehicles in the territory of Vietnam, will create strong progress in economic, trade and investment partnership between the two countries, he said.

He noted that the two sides are actively implementing the truck assembling and production joint venture project between Belarus’s MAZ company and Vietnam’s Au Viet company, which is scheduled to become operational in late 2017.

With its strength in transport vehicle production, Belarus firms, especially MAZ, will expand cooperation with Vietnamese partners in the field, he held.

At the same time, agricultural collaboration will be strengthened, especially in farm produce export and processing, said the State leader.

The two sides will continue fostering their science-technology cooperation within the framework of the joint committee on science-technology cooperation on the basis of the affiliation roadmap between the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the Belarus National Academy of Sciences for the 2016-2020 period.

Along with bilateral collaboration in education-training, information-communications, the two sides will expand cooperation in natural resources and environment, said the President who pledged that Vietnam supports and encourages localities of both sides to set up direct partnership and propose specific cooperation plans.

The State leader also expressed his delight to visit Belarus for the first time since he took office in 2016, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties, while showing his sound sentiments to the nation and people of Belarus.

Noting that the two countries have shared strong political trust through regular exchanges of delegations, especially at high-ranking level, President Quang said that both sides have supported each other at international forums such as the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Vietnam and Belarus have maintained diverse cooperation mechanisms, including the Deputy Foreign Ministerial political consultation, Inter-Governmental Committee on economic-trade and science-technology cooperation, Inter-Governmental Committee on defence technology cooperation, and Committee on science and technology cooperation.

Two-way trade reached nearly 100 million USD in 2016. Last year, the number of Belarusian tourists to Vietnam doubled that of 2015. Belarus is among 40 countries enjoying Vietnam’s e-visa issuance from February 1, 2017. In May this year, Belarus Culture Days were held in Hanoi and Son La province, introducing the beautiful country and friendly people of Belarus to Vietnam, noted the President.

Regarding benefit brought about by the Vietnam-EAEU free trade agreement in boosting bilateral economic-trade cooperation, he said that the deal brings precious opportunities and a new space for both sides to bolster their economic-trade ties.

Preferential tariff policies that the two sides offer to each other allow them to increase exports to each other market, thus making balancing trade and fulfilling the target of over 500 million USD in two-way trade the coming time, he said.

Vietnam will also work hard to assist Belarus and EAEU countries to expand economic and trade ties with the ASEAN Community, a market with over 600 million people and the GDP of about 2.5 trillion USD, stated President Quang.

He also expressed his belief that Vietnam and Belarus will tap new opportunities to beef up their ties in all fields for the interest of the two countries’ people and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.-VNA