Hanoi (VNA) –🅘 Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Adylbek Kasymaliev after hosting an official welcome ceremony for the latter in Hanoi on March 6 morning.

At the talks, on behalf of the Government and people of Vietnam, PM Chinh warmly welcomed PM Kasymaliev and the delegation of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic on their first official visit to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. He affirmed that the visit is an important historical milestone, opening a new phase of cooperation for the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan, towards upgrading the relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership. PM Kasymaliev said he was delighted to visit Vietnam for the first time, expressing his impression of the socio-economic achievements that Vietnam has achieved in recent times under the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the effective management of the Vietnamese Government and PM Chinh himself. He spoke highly of Vietnam's increasing role in the Southeast Asian region and affirmed that Kyrgyzstan considers Vietnam a priority in its foreign policy and wants to develop bilateral cooperation with Vietnam in areas where both sides have strengths and potential.

PM Chinh affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always attach importance to the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan, which has been nurtured by leaders and people of the two countries over many generations. Vietnam will never forget the valuable support and assistance that the people of the Soviet Union, including the people of Kyrgyzstan, have given to Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence and the current process of national defence, socio-economic construction and development, he stressed. The two leaders informed each other about the situation in each country, and discussed directions to promote bilateral relations, while agreeing on many specific measures to create new momentum and deepen cooperation in many fields. Both PMs affirmed the importance of maintaining meeting at all levels, especially at high levels, through all channels, as well as between ministries, sectors and localities, including bilateral contacts at international forums and conferences, especially at the United Nations, moving towards the establishment of direct exchange channels to effectively promote high-level agreements reached between the two sides. They also agreed to continue promoting the tradition of close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially at the UN. PM Chinh highlighted Vietnam’s willingness to act as a bridge for Kyrgyzstan to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN. He said he hopes Kyrgyzstan will promote its role and connect Vietnam with the Central Asian region, while urging Kyrgyzstan to support the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on the East Sea issue. The two PMs acknowledged the improvements in economic and trade cooperation, with bilateral trade gradually growing, but it is not sustainable and yet to meet each side’s potential. They emphasised that the two countries need to further exploit the advantages brought by the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union. To improve the effectiveness of cooperation, both sides agreed to support the establishment of coordination mechanisms between agencies in charge of economics, trade and investment, as well as the possibility of setting up an Intergovernmental Committee. They encouraged businesses of the two countries to set up their partnerships, and participate in promotion activities and specialised fairs held in each country. The two leaders also agreed to assign the two countries’ ministries and sectors to accelerate negotiations and signing of agreements on double taxation avoidance, investment promotion and protection, and economic cooperation, and the exchange of lists of goods that each country has export potential and strength, such as wood and wood products, electronic products, garment and textiles, aquatic products, seafood, fruits, cashew nuts, and tea. PM Chinh suggested his Kyrgyz counterpart assign relevant ministries and agencies to explore the potential for cooperation in the production and export of Halal products to Kyrgyzstan in particular and the Central Asian market in general. The leaders agreed to expand cooperation into potential areas such as agriculture, defence-security, education-training, culture-tourism, and locality-to-locality exchange, as well as transportation connectivity, particularly aviation and railways, to create new collaboration opportunities. This will facilitate mutual understanding between the two countries’ people and promote bilateral ties comprehensively. PM Chinh expressed his gratitude to the key leaders and government of Kyrgyzstan for their attention to the Vietnamese community in the host country, and called for more support from the Kyrgyz side to the community. After the talks, the leaders signed a joint statement on the outcomes of the Kyrgyz PM’s official visit to Vietnam and witnessed the signing and exchange of bilateral cooperation documents, covering education, legal affairs, and civil aviation.

PM Kasymaliev invited PM Chinh to pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan to discuss specific measures for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the near future. The Vietnamese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure./.