Vietnam and Belarus issued a joint statement on strengthening and fostering their friendship and all-faceted cooperation during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to Belarus on November 26-27.

The two sides agreed to boost political dialogues at all levels regarding bilateral issues as well as regional and international matters of mutual concerns.

They reached a consensus on paving the way for accelerating cooperation in economy, trade, investment, machinery manufacturing, agriculture, petrochemical technology, light industry, information technology, electronics, mining and other fields.

They agreed to study the possibility of launching a direct flight route between the two countries and granting visa exemption for short business trips.

They noted the need to further the role of the Vietnam-Belarus Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation and come up with favourable conditions to make it easier for Vietnamese and Belarusian businesses to set up links.

The two sides were pleased with the negotiating process of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, consenting to work harder for the signing in early 2015.

They underscored the importance and necessity of respecting respective independence, equality and territorial integrity as well as the principle of not interfering in the other’s internal affairs and not using force or threatening to use force and that on mutually-beneficial cooperation for peace, stability and development.

Both sides agreed to consolidate their dialogue, collaboration, consultancy and support at international forums for peace, security, prosperity and development in compliance with international legal norms and principle and the UN Charter.

Belarus supports the settlement of territorial disputes, including that in the East Sea, by peaceful means, and the early establishment of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea to safeguard maritime safety and security in the sea area in compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

Vietnam affirmed to back Belarus’s bids to reinforce multi-dimensional cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

Both sides underlined the importance of tackling the issues that could affect global security, like terrorism, separatism, and organised crimes by consolidating bilateral, regional and international collaboration at all levels.

They stressed the necessity of persistently implementing disarmament globally and strengthening the principle of non-proliferation of destructive mass weapons, especially nuclear weapons, while ensuring the nations’ rights to research, develop, use, transfer and be transferred with nuclear, chemical and biological technology for peaceful purposes are observed.

Party General Secretary meets with Belarusian Prime Minister

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich in Minsk on November 27 during his official visit to Belarus on November 26-27.

PM M.Myasnikovich said he expected the visit will create a new impulse pushing for deeper traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

He affirmed that Belarus held high regard for Vietnam’s role in the region and the world, stating that cementing the relations with Vietnam is among priorities in Belarus’s foreign policy designed for Asia-Pacific.

The Vietnamese Party leader and the Prime Minister shared their joy seeing the two countries’ traditional friendship and cooperation growing and their political ties unceasingly being strengthened.

They noted the triple rise in two-way trade recorded over the past five years remains below the two countries’ potential and expressed their belief that a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will pave the way for accelerating export activity. The agreement could be initialed by the end of 2014 and will be officially signed in early 2015.

PM M.Myasnikovich pledged to pay attention to facilitating Vietnam’s exports, especially farm products, seafood, apparel and footwear, to the Belarusian market while working towards establishing joint ventures producing such items right in Belarus.

Both leaders agreed to continue providing the best possible conditions for the two countries’ businesses to connect, firstly making it easier for the military-run Viettel group to invest in a telecommunication project in Belarus and other projects engaging in automobile and tractor manufacturing, coal exploitation and mining.

The PM said his country will consider increasing scholarships for Vietnamese students, especially in the fields of culture, arts and defence.

The leaders shared the view that cooperation in labour and vocational training is promising and needs to be accelerated in the coming time.

They emphasised the important role of local affiliation in consolidating the traditional friendship and opening up economic and trade cooperation opportunities.

At the end of the meeting, the host and guest witnessed the signing of several cooperative documents between the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the Belarusian President Office, the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Belarusian Ministry of Information, and the central province of Quang Ngai and Belarus’s Mogilov province.

Before the Belarus trip, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited Russia.

Party chief meets Belarus’ National Assembly Council chairman

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Chairman of the Council of the Republic of Belarus National Assembly Anatoly N. Rubinov affirmed the significance of cooperation between legislative bodies to the development of the bilateral all-round ties.

At a meeting in Minsk on November 27 during the Vietnamese Party chief’s visit, they underscored the need to effectively implement the cooperation agreement between the two law-making agencies signed in April 2009 as it provides an important legal foundation for them to expand across-the-board partnership.

They also suggested these bodies increase delegation exchanges at all levels and share experience, while supporting each other at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums.

Both sides concurred that the Vietnam-Belarus Friendship Parliamentarian Group and the working group of the National Assembly of Belarus on cooperation with the National Assembly of Vietnam should coordinate more closely to strengthen their role in connecting parliamentary partnership activities.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong took the occasion to invite leaders of the Belarus National Assembly to visit Vietnam and attend the 132nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Hanoi in 2015.

Also on November 27, the Party leader visited the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), which has set up sound partnership with Vietnam’s Corporation of Engine and Agricultural Machinery Industry and Trade (VEAM). Sales of automobiles produced by MAZ and assembled by VEAM are rising in Vietnam, contributing to raising two-way trade between the two countries.

He also visited the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History where he was introduced to the contributions and sacrifice of people of the former Soviet Union, including Belarusians, to the victory against fascism.

Later the same day, the Party chief met members of the Belarus-Vietnam Friendship Association and Belarusian veterans who fought in Vietnam during the war.

He affirmed the Party and State’s consistent policy of prioritising fostering ties with traditional friends, including Belarus.

Accompanying the Party General Secretary in the visit, Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang had a working session with the Belarus-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee on economic-trade cooperation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Nam met with the Chairman of the State Security Committee, while Deputy Defence Minister Truong Quang Khanh had a working session with the Belarusian Military Academy.

VNA/VNN