The fifth round of negotiation for a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia took place in Kazakh capital Almaty from March 31 to April 4.

The event was co-chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and Eurasian Economic Commission’s Minister for Trade Andrey A.Slepnev.

Vietnam and the union agreed on the wording of some chapters concerning trade in goods and electronic technology, among others.

The two sides also continued to discuss appendices of the agreement, particularly those related to rules of origin.

To promote the negotiation progress, they agreed to hold a mid-term meeting for several groups regarding trade in goods, trade remedies, rules of origin and intellectual property. They also pledged to further internal consultations and information exchange.

The sixth round of talks is scheduled to take place from June 16-20 in Russia.-VNA