Vietnam and the Czech Republic issued a joint statement on the occasion of State President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to the European country from May 10-13 at the invitation of President Milos Zeman.

During his stay, President Sang held talks with President Zeman and met Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, President of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Hamacek and President of the Senate Milan Stech.

The statement said on the occasion of the 65 th anniversary of diplomatic ties, both sides expressed the contentment with the long-standing friendship, as evidenced by extensive political dialogues and bilateral ties on diverse fronts.

Discussing priorities in each country’s foreign policy, both leaders consented to specific solutions to boost their relationship and touched upon regional and global issues of shared concern.

They took note of the regular visit exchanges by senior leaders and those from ministries, agencies, National Assembly bodies and localities, which reflect a strong political determination to further links across economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education and culture, among others.

The Vietnamese leader stated that Vietnam always values the development all-around ties with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, especially the Czech Republic.

For his part, President Zeman appreciated Vietnam’s readiness to serve as a bridge between his country and ASEAN member states.

The two leaders supported the enhancement of the legal framework for bilateral ties in fields of shared interest to facilitate cooperation and expressed their hope for the early signing of agreements on prisoner transfers, crime prevention and cooperation on culture, education, science, youth and sports.

The two sides also agreed to further economic, trade and investment ties given the untapped potential for trade promotion.

To that end, they declared all possible support for investors to seek business opportunities, acquire technological advances, and engage in science-technology collaboration.

President Sang spoke highly of development aid that the Czech Republic has provided to Vietnam and proposed broadened coordination across environment technology, forestation, waste management, climate change adaptation, water drainage, community healthcare, personnel training, insurance system reform and hospital construction.

Vietnam and the Czech Republic pledged to share experiences and work closely at international forums, including those regarding regional and global security, anti-terrorism and climate change, and offer mutual support to each other’s bids for seats at international organisations.

The two countries were unanimous on continued efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world, and settle disputes by peaceful means in line with international law.

The Czech Republic will continue backing Vietnam’s efforts to boost its comprehensive cooperation with the European Union.

They also expressed support for the early completion of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

The Vietnamese side thanked the Czech authorities and people for their help to Vietnamese nationals in the country and recognition of the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority.

On the occasion, President Sang invited his host to pay a State visit to Vietnam at his convenience, the statement concluded.

VNA