Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) welcomes Speaker of the Kazakh Parliament's Lower House Kabibulla Dzhakupov at the inauguration of the Kazakh Embassy in Vietnam on March 30 (Photo: VNA)
Bilateral relations between Vietnam and Kazakhstan should be taken tothe next level, Vietnamese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Nguyen Van Hoa toldVietnam News Agency correspondents on April 27.
The Ambassadorhighlighted the fact that in the past few years Vietnam and Kazakhstanhave supported each other at the international and regional forums,adding that two-way trade in 2014 reached over 213 million USD, doublingthe previous year’s figure.
He underscored that numerousagreements, especially the Vietnam- Eurasian Economic Union free tradeagreement, will open up new opportunities to develop economic relationsbetween two countries. Kazakhstan is a member of the Union.
However,limitations exist in investment and cultural exchange between twonations, according to the diplomat. Hoa said that Vietnamese enterprisesshould be encouraged to invest more in agricultural products, food,garments and electronic products, which are favoured in Kazakh markets.
He recommended that the tourism sector needs tocoordinate with Kazakh partners to draw more tourists from central Asiato Vietnam.
He especially stressed the need forcooperation to exploit oil and minerals in Kazakhstan, deeming it as akey potential area of collaboration between the two sides to meet theenergy demand of Vietnam, which will become an industrial countrypost-2020.
Hoa praised contributions made by the Vietnameseexpatriate community in Kazakhstan to consolidate and develop thetraditional relations.-VNA
