Vietnam and Ukraine on March 26 signed a joint statement to define their future comprehensive partnership and cooperation during a visit to Vietnam by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The Presidents of Vietnam and Ukraine affirmed wishes and determination to elevate the two countries’ comprehensive partnership and cooperation at their talks held the same day.

President Nguyen Minh Triet underscored that when implementing its foreign policy, Vietnam has always placed importance on strengthening and promoting its ties with traditional friends, including Ukraine .

The presidents shared the view that the traditional friendship and multi-sided cooperation between Vietnam and Ukraine , which have overcome challenges in the past difficult years, are enjoying huge opportunities for growing in all fields in a comprehensive and effective manner.

They agreed that the resumption and enhancement of high-level political contacts have provided favourable conditions for Vietnam and Ukraine to step up wide-ranging cooperation.

Presidents Triet and Yanukovych reached consensus on the need to knit together a master plan on the development of the two countries’ cooperation in all fields to maximize each country’s strength.

They also agreed that Vietnam and Ukraine will continue perfecting the legal foundation for bilateral cooperation, adopt workable measures to increase trade value, and study a possibility of signing a free trade agreement.

The two presidents asserted that investment will be focused on the fields of energy, mechanical engineering, the manufacturing of machinery, engines and equipment for power, chemical and shipbuilding plants while cooperation will be expanded to agriculture, banking, aviation and space technology.

They promised to encourage businesses to exchange information, establish direct partnerships, and undertake cooperative forms of high efficiency, including the formation of joint ventures.

“ Vietnam welcomes and is willing to create favourable conditions for Ukrainian entrepreneurs to invest in the areas that fit Vietnam ’s needs for industrialisation and modernisation,” Triet said.

The two leaders also laid stress on the importance of continuing to speed up cooperation in education-training, science-technology, military technology, culture, and others.

They agreed to organise the two countries’ cultural days in 2012 when they mark the 20 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

President Triet spoke highly of Ukraine ’s current move to launch the Ho Chi Minh City-Kiev direct flight service, saying it will work to boost the people’s ties and the two countries’ cooperation in tourism.

The two presidents recognised contributions made by Vietnamese citizens living and working in Ukraine and those Ukrainians studying and working in Vietnam to consolidating and developing the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

In the spirit of mutual understanding and mutual trust, they discussed and reached consensus on many regional and international issue of mutual concern.

Both showed satisfaction at the two countries’ close coordination and mutual support at international forums, especially in the UN.

Vietnam noted down Ukraine ’s proposal for backing its candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in the 2016-17 term while Ukraine noted down Vietnam ’s proposal for supporting its candidacy to the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 term.

President Viktor Yanukovych expressed his hope that Vietnam will act as a bridge for Ukraine to bolster its ties with ASEAN and Southeast Asian countries.

The two presidents said they believe the outcomes of President Viktor Yanukovych’s visit will create a new impulse for the two countries’ cooperation to grow more strongly in all fields.

At the end of the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a host of cooperative documents, including an inter-governmental agreement on educational cooperation, a framework agricultural cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ukrainian Ministry for Food and Agricultural Policies.

Other document were the cultural cooperative programme for the 2011-15 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ukrainian Culture Ministry, a cooperation plan between the two Foreign Ministries in the 2011-12 period, and a banking cooperation agreement./.