Buenos Aires (VNA) – President ofArgentina Mauricio Macri will pay a State visit to Vietnam from February19 to 21, which will create a push for bilateral cooperation in the time ahead,according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Dang Xuan Dung.

In a recent interview granted to Vietnam NewsAgency, the diplomat said the visit, to be made at the invitation of PresidentNguyen Phu Trong, will be the first to Vietnam by Macri as President ofArgentina. It will be a remarkable milestone in relations of the two countries,whose bilateral diplomatic ties turned 45 on October 25, 2018.

The visit is an illustration of the importanceVietnam holds in Argentina’s foreign policy towards Asia in general andSoutheast Asia in particular, especially since the Latin American country inkeda treaty of amity and cooperation with the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) last August.

Meanwhile, the welcome of President Macri’sState visit will also show Vietnam’s high regard for Argentina’s role in LatinAmerica, Dung said.

He added the documents to be signed during this visitwill help perfect the legal framework facilitating the countries’ comprehensivepartnership in a more substantive manner in the time ahead.

Giving an overview of bilateral ties, AmbassadorDung said the comprehensive partnership has sustained the upward trend in spiteof certain impact of external factors and Argentina’s situation.

Aside from frequent mutual visits at all levelsbetween their Parties, Governments and parliaments, important bilateralmechanisms such as the intergovernmental committee and the politicalconsultation at the deputy foreign ministerial level have been maintained andimproved.

The two sides have supported and cooperated witheach other effectively at multilateral forums like the United Nations, theWorld Trade Organisation, the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation,and the South-South Cooperation within the UN’s framework.

Economic-trade ties are also a highlight in thecountries’ connections, he noted, elaborating that bilateral trade wasmaintained at around 3 billion USD in 2018 – the highest of Argentina with aSoutheast Asian nation. Meanwhile, Vietnam ranks second in Asia and fifth inthe world among Argentina’s markets. Argentina, in turn, is the second biggestmarket of Vietnam in Latin America.

The two sides have been working activelytogether within the framework of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), of whichArgentina is a member. Cooperation in other fields like agriculture,science-technology, education, health care, and cultural exchange has alsorecorded progress, Dung said.

The ambassador expressed his belief in a drivingforce to be created for bilateral relations during this visit, especially ineconomy and trade. He explained that commitments to be made by the countries’leaders will outline directions for their ministries and sectors to finalisetechnical discussions about the opening of each market for each other’s fruits.The visit will also facilitate the consideration of a free trade agreementbetween Vietnam and Mercosur.

Additionally, a business forum during this tripwith the participation of nearly 40 leading enterprises of Argentina and manyVietnamese firms will encourage bilateral trade and investment activities, Dungsaid.

After this trip, the two countries may begindiscussing defence cooperation – a new area in their relations, and increasecultural and sport exchange.

He added that given these, he is confident in abright future of cooperation between the two nations.-VNA