Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim left Hanoi on August 24 afternoon, concluding his three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim at the Vietnam-Turkey Business Forum

During his trip, PM Yildirim held talks with PM Phuc, met with National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and attended the Vietnam-Turkey Business Forum.

The Turkish PM also laid a wreath at the Heroic Martyrs Monument, paid homage to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and called at the Temple of Literature and the Ethnology Museum.

At the meetings, the Vietnamese and Turkish leaders agreed to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels and encourage cooperation between ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries.

PM Yildirim affirmed Turkey’s support for Vietnam’s efforts to maintain stability in the region in general and the East Sea in particular. 

He advocated the standpoints of Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries to settle disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures and dialogues in line with international law.

Vietnam and Turkey pledged to raise two-way trade to 4 billion USD by 2020 through trade and investment promotion activities. 

They agreed to strengthen coordination in transport, particularly in navigation, shipbuilding, crew member training, and encourage cooperation between their airlines such as Turkish Airline and Vietnam Airlines, in addition to cooperation in science-technology, culture-education, security-defence, and people-to-people exchanges.

In 2018, the two countries will jointly organise activities to celebrate the 40th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

Vietnam proposed Turkey soon recognise its market economy and remove unreasonable taxes on Vietnamese exports such as footwear, fibre, conveyor belt, air conditioners, and mobile phones.

The two PMs witnessed the signing of an agreement between Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance and Turkey’s Ministry of Customs and Trade on administration cooperation and assistance in customs; a Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment and Turkey’s Ministry of Economy on partnership in developing export processing and special economic zones; and a plan to implement cooperation between Vietnam’s Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, and Turkey’s Standards Institution in 2017-2018.

Turkish PM hailed for supporting social science ties with Vietnam

Director of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Nguyen Quang Thuan (R) presents the insignia to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on August 24

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has been presented with the “For the Cause of Vietnam’s Social Science” insignia in recognition of his attention to the development of the two countries’ social science cooperation.

Director of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) Nguyen Quang Thuan gave the insignia to him when the Turkish leader visited the academy on August 24.

PM Binali Yildirim, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, valued the role of science-technology and affirmed that he wants to bolster the countries’ cooperation in this field.

He voiced his belief that stronger cooperation between VASS and science agencies of Turkey will considerably contribute to the countries’ cooperation efforts.

On this occasion, the Turkish PM also visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology under VASS.

Scientific cooperation between VASS and Turkish partners began in 2010 with the signing of a scientific cooperation agreement between VASS’s Institute of African and Middle East Studies and the Ankara University of Turkey.

Since then, bilateral relations in the area have been expanded as seen through mutual visits by scholars and regular symposiums held with the support of the Turkish Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Embassy in Turkey.

Deputy PM: trade-economic cooperation pillar of Vietnam-Turkey ties

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue at the Vietnam-Turkey Business Forum. 

Trade and investment cooperation is a crucial pillar for Vietnam and Turkey to deepen the bilateral ties for the prosperity of each nation, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said at the Vietnam-Turkey Business Forum in Hanoi on August 24. 

The Deputy PM noted that Vietnam and Turkey share a number of similarities with fast-growing economies which have integrated deeper into the global economy. Two-way trade stood at nearly 2 billion USD in 2016 and is growing fast towards the goal of 4 billion USD in 2020. Currently, Turkish investors run 13 projects valued at 730 million USD in Vietnam. The two countries have signed agreements on double taxation avoidance and investment encouragement and protection.

However, there is plenty of room for the two countries to step up their partnership in industry, investment, agriculture, culture, tourism, education, oil and gas and maritime navigation, among others, Hue stressed.

He urged the business communities of both sides to become the leading force in carrying out bilateral economic-trade cooperation agreements.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim recommended that legal corridor should be more open and transparent to support effective operation of the enterprises.

He said the two countries need a free trade agreement to promote connections between two business communities.

With total population of more than 170 million people and gross domestic products valued at more than 2 trillion USD, the Turkish leader believed that the two-way trade revenue of 2 billion USD is far below the two countries’ potential.

Turkish businesses have begun to study the Vietnamese market with the intention of making investment in infrastructure and healthcare, the fields that they have a wealth of experience, he added.

The business forum was jointly held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) on the occasion of the official visit of the Turkish Prime Minister.

VNA