Bangladesh’s daily English-language newspaper The Daily Star has carried several articles emphasising the importance of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang’s three-day State visit to Bangladesh from March 4 at the invitation of President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid at the welcome ceremony

The newspaper quoted President Tran Dai Quang as saying in an interview granted to the Bangladeshi press that Vietnam and Bangladesh have a time-honoured friendship based on historical similarities and shared values of independence, peace, cooperation and development.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, leaders and people of the two nations have treasured and preserved this valuable tradition, and at the same time, spared no effort to further enhance the development of bilateral relations.

 “We want and believe that relevant agencies of both nations will make the most of these potential and advantages to look for suitable measures and develop bilateral relations more practically and effectively, thereby meeting the aspirations and interests of their people”, said the Vietnamese President.

In an earlier article, the newspaper quoted a senior official at the foreign ministry as saying that the two countries want to raise bilateral trade to 1 billion USD.

“Bangladesh and Vietnam are enjoying economic cooperation, with trade reaching 609 million USD in 2016 from only 93 million USD in 2009. Bangladesh exports pharmaceuticals, raw materials for garments and machinery to Vietnam, while Vietnam's major exports to Bangladesh include iron, steel, fibre, textiles, plastics, rubber and electronics,” the article wrote.

It reported that some 100 business representatives from top Vietnam companies accompany the Vietnamese president in the visit to Bangladesh. They will interact with their Bangladeshi counterparts and explore trade and investment potentials in Bangladesh.

The paper also noted that Dhaka is eager to connect itself with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose members are Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

According to the paper, the diplomatic circle in Dhaka attaches importance to the upcoming visit of President Tran Dai Quang, during which the two countries are expected to sign about half a dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding for promotion of trade, investment, connectivity and cooperation during the visit.

It recalled that several high-ranking officials of Bangladesh visited in recent years. President Mohammad Abdul Hamid visited Vietnam in August 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in November 2015 and Speaker of the Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in July 2017.

Bangladesh and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1973. Since then, the friendship and cooperation between the two states have been enhanced in a wide range of areas, especially economy and trade. – VNA