Hanoi (VNA)ꦗ - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on July 19 for Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan Bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, who is on an official visit to Vietnam for the third political consultation between the two foreign ministries.

Welcoming the second Vietnam visit by the minister, PM Chinh expressed satisfaction with the recent developments in bilateral ties and the fruitful outcomes of political consultation between the two ministries. He suggested both sides work closely together to facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially those at high level, to strengthen political trust and open up new cooperation opportunities. Highlighting the vast potential for economic collaboration, he urged Qatari businesses and investment funds to expand their presence in Vietnam in areas of mutual interest such as oil and gas, infrastructure, agriculture and green ports as well as emerging sectors like green technology, semiconductor and electric vehicles. Both sides should engage in discussions to finalise and sign cooperation agreements on consular affairs, trade, investment, locality-to-locality and people-to-people exchanges, thereby creating a favourable legal framework to deepen and diversify the bilateral relationship, he said. On global and regional issues of shared interest, the PM underscored the importance of settling disputes through peaceful means based on respect for international law, for the sake of global and regional peace, cooperation and development. At multilateral forums, the two countries should further enhance mutual support and consultation, bolster ASEAN- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cooperation. Al-Muraikhi, for his part, agreed with the host’s proposals, informing him that during the political consultation, both sides discussed and proposed specific measures to boost bilateral ties, especially in politics-diplomacy, investment, trade, oil and gas, infrastructure, agriculture, Halal industry, labour, culture, education-training, and people-to-people exchange. He expressed readiness to step up mutual support at multilateral forums, especially in the face of global challenges and difficulties. He concurred with the PM on the crucial role of settling conflicts through peaceful means in line with international law, in order to foster global and regional cooperation, peace and stability, for the development and prosperity of both nations. Host and guest agreed on the need to promptly hold the third Joint Committee meeting to conduct a comprehensive review of bilateral collaboration and develop a programme for Vietnam-Qatar cooperation across all areas in the near future./.