Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said he hopes the Mexican Senate will continue backing measures to expand cooperation between the two nations.

During his reception for Gabriela Cuevas Barron, Head of International Relations Committee of the Mexican Senate during her visit to Vietnam for the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliament Union, Deputy Prime Minister Minh said the bilateral relations have become increasingly fruitful in recent years.

Both host and guest concurred that it is necessary to enhance mutual understanding and improve bilateral cooperation mechanisms through intensifying all-level delegation exchanges.

They said that the two Governments should encourage their businesses to tap the potential for investment cooperation among them, especially as both countries are engaging in negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.

Deputy PM Minh called on Mexico to assist Vietnamese businesses in investing in communications, oil and gas industry and agricultural sectors in the country, affirming that the Vietnamese Government will create favourable conditions for Mexican firms to enter the Vietnamese market.

He also asked the Mexican Government to early recognise Vietnam’s market economy and remove import duties on Vietnamese rice.

For her part, Barron spoke of Vietnam’s remarkable achievements, affirming that the Mexican Senate supports policies and measures promoting cooperation between her country and Vietnam.

She suggested that the two Governments hasten negotiations towards signing cooperation agreements in economics, trade and investment to create a legal framework for their bilateral relations.-VNA