Deputy PM highlights improvements in Vietnam-Kazakhstan trade

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) receives Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov on December 4 - Photo: VGP

At the meeting in Hanoi, Deputy PM Minh noted with satisfaction the progress in bilateral relations in various spheres, from politics, economy-trade, to culture, tourism and security.

Visits by the two countries’ leaders, with the most recent being an official trip to Kazakhstan by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in October, have created a driving force for multifaceted cooperation.

He highly values the initial improvements in bilateral trade since the Vietnam- Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement took effect in October 2016, reaching US$ 184 million in the first nine months of 2017 which approximates last year’s figure.

The two countries should to devise measures to continue carrying out the trade pact in an effective manner, he said, adding that Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge for the implementation of a free trade agreement between Kazakhstan and ASEAN.

For his part, Deputy Minister Kamaldinov spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements over the past years and congratulated the country on the successful APEC Year 2017.

He asked the two countries to promote the traditional friendship and win-win cooperation in a substantive fashion, thereby meeting the aspirations of the two countries’ Governments and people.

Earlier, the Kazakh official had a political consultation with Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy.

The two sides agreed to maintain all-level delegation exchanges and political consultations to boost mutual understanding and bilateral cooperation. They will coordinate closely and support each other at the United Nations, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and other international forums, particularly amid Kazakhstan’s non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018.

At the event, the officials also discussed cooperation and security in Asia-Pacific. They underscored the importance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea, peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, and not using nor threatening to use force.

They concurred in bolstering trade and investment ties and creating favourable conditions for the countries’ businesses to partner in their strong fields such as agriculture, processing industry, manufacturing, infrastructure building, and defence industry

On December 5, Deputy Foreign Minister Akylbek Kamaldinov will co-chair the 8th Meeting of the Vietnam-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Committee for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation with leader of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi.