Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has affirmed Vietnam ’s consistent policy of attaching great importance to ties with Thailand , while receiving Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Hanoi on July 10.

The Party leader also expressed his belief that the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries will be continuously consolidated on a bilateral basis as well as within the framework of ASEAN for their people’s benefit and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

He said he was pleased with the rapid development of bilateral ties recently, especially in economics, trade and investment.

He also thanked the Thai Government and people for their assistance to overseas Vietnamese who are working and living in the country.

For his part, PM Abhisit highly praised Vietnam ’s achievements in renewal and integration and expressed his confidence that Vietnam will soon overcome difficulties presented by the global financial and economic crisis and reap even better results in the future, during its industrialisation and modernisation process.

He affirmed that Thailand appreciates the role of Vietnam and considers it an important strategic partner in such areas as politics, economics, trade, investment, security, tourism, transport, culture, education and sports./.