Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabad starts his official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 6.

Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabad.

The visit aims to further foster the friendship as well as cooperation across trade, oil and gas, labour, agriculture and tourism, between the two countries.

The two sides will discuss regional and international issues of shared concerns.

Vietnam and Kuwait established diplomatic ties on January 10, 1976. Vietnam opened its Embassy in the Middle East nation in October 2003 while Kuwait set up its Embassy in Hanoi in August 2007 and its Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City one month later.

The two sides signed a range of agreements, covering such areas as economy, science, technology, trade, tax, air transport, visa exemption and foreign affairs.

In February 2016, the Kuwaiti Government recognised Vietnam’s market economy.

In 2015, bilateral trade stood at only 220 million USD with Vietnam mainly exporting garments-textiles, seafood, wood and timber products, computers, electronics, fruit, vegetables, pepper, footwear and porcelain products to Kuwait and importing from the country such items as oil, fertilizer, plastic materials, fabric, chemicals and apparel materials.

VNA