Qatar pays heed to boosting cooperation with Vietnam, said Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi

He made the statement at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on December 11, as part of his three-day official visit to the country starting on December 10.

At the reception, Minh expressed his delight at robust growth of bilateral relations and put forth a number of measures to step up the engagements, particularly in economy and trade.

He suggested a bilateral trade goal of 1 billion USD, asking Qatar to facilitate Vietnam’s export of farm produce, food, and construction materials to the country.

He proposed Qatar create conditions to receive more Vietnamese workers.

He said Vietnam expects to welcome high-ranking delegations from Qatar in 2018, as the year marks the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Earlier the same day, the Qatar official held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam, during which both sides agreed to enhance bilateral friendship and exchange of delegations, particularly high-ranking ones.

They said the countries will continue supporting each other at international forums and organisations, particularly the UN.

They stressed deepening cooperation between the two foreign bodies, firstly by organising their second political consultation towards making it a periodical mechanism.

They also stated their commitment to promoting engagements in economy-trade via cooperation between Vietnamese and Qatar chambers of commerce and industry and facilitating local firms’ access to respective markets.

Other sectors of collaboration included labour, security, energy, banking, tourism, and agriculture. The Vietnamese side said it wants Qatar to create conditions for Vietnamese caregivers and health staff to work in the country.-VNA