Japan is a very important partner of Vietnam and the current strategic partnership is opening prospects for bilateral cooperation, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

President Triet made the statement while receiving visiting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hanoi on Nov. 9.

Vietnam always respects the contributions of former PM Shinzo Abe towards developing Vietnam-Japan relations to the strategic partnership, said the President, saying he hoped Shinzo Abe would make further contributions to promoting the development of bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation.

He went on to say that Vietnam has confidence in Japan’s technology and credit sources and called on Japanese businesses to invest in projects to build metro systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and other infrastructure facilities, in addition to the North-South highway and railway and the Hoa Lac hi-tech park projects.

He appreciated the visit of former PM Shinzo Abe and the Japanese delegation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to explore investment opportunities in Vietnam’s subsidiary industries.

Apart from major projects that require hi-tech in Vietnam, SMEs can provide a suitable model to supplement big projects, he said.

Vietnam welcomes and encourages Japanese SMEs, organisations and localities to seek cooperation and investment opportunities in the country, affirmed the President.

Shinzo Abe said he was confident that Vietnam would become a modern industrialised nation by 2020 as well as the most important partner of Japan in ASEAN in the near future.

The Japanese Government and people attach importance to the development of friendship and all-around cooperation with Vietnam, not only in big projects but also through cooperation among SMEs and localities, Abe said.

He said he hoped the two countries would promote bilateral cooperation at regional and international forums.

Shinzo Abe used the occasion to congratulate Vietnam on its successful organisation of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and its assumption as ASEAN Chair in 2010 along with the success of the 17th ASEAN Summit and related summits./.