Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President of Myanmar Htin Kyaw agreed to establish the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership during their talks in Naypyidaw, the capital city of Myanmar, on August 24. 

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and President of Myanmar Htin Kyaw

President Htin Kyaw stressed that Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit is an important historic milestone and will open up a new chapter in the two countries’ ties.

Meanwhile, Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong noted that the visit will offer the two sides to outline strategic orientations to create a new hallmark, a new height and a new impetus for the bilateral ties across sectors.

They expressed their delight to see the Vietnam-Myanmar ties growing across diverse areas, especially since former Party General Secretary Do Muoi’s visit in 1997. Two-way trade hit 548.3 million USD, exceeding the set target of 500 million USD. Vietnam has become the ninth largest trade partner and the seventh largest foreign investor of Myanmar. 

Both sides agreed on major orientations to lifting bilateral ties to a greater height by intensifying political links at all levels, especially at the highest level while continuing to strengthen bilateral relations on the Party, Government, National Assembly, sector and local channels. 

Further attention will be paid to people-to-people exchange, especially young leaders and people. 

On national defence-security, they pledged to soon establish the national defence policy dialogue mechanism at the deputy ministerial and vice chief of the general staff levels and the Joint Working Group mechanism at the head of the external relation agency level. 

The two countries will reinforce joint work in defence industry, army medical training, sharing of information, consultation and mutual support at bilateral forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM Plus. 

They vowed to not allow any individuals or organisations to make use of this country’s territory to sabotage the other country.

Regarding economic cooperation, the two sides proposed promoting the current development momentum and actively supporting each other to host trade and investment promotion activities to increase trade value. 

They suggested focusing on cooperation in banking, finance, aviation, telecommunication, and other supplementary fields such as mining, agro-forestry-fisheries, tourism, and consumer products.

It is also necessary to increase exchanges and share experience in economic management, reshuffle and institutional reform.

Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to enhance air, land and sea route connectivity through stronger cooperation in seaport construction, maritime and aviation transport, and shipbuilding, as well as consider the establishment of an aviation joint venture and the development of roads connecting the two countries and within the cooperation framework of ASEAN, Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), and Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV).

The transport of passengers and goods along the bilateral economic corridors will help promote trade, investment and tourism exchanges between Vietnam and Myanmar in particular and in the region as a whole.

Party leader Trong took this occasion to thank President Htin Kyaw and the Myanmar Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese businesses to make investment and hoped the country will provide more support for them to do more for the host country’s development efforts.

President Htin Kyaw welcomed Vietnamese firms to step up investment in Myanmar for mutual benefits and highly valued Vietnam’s investment of 500 million USD in tourism.

The two leaders also exchanged regional and international issues of mutual concern and affirmed Vietnam and Myanmar have shared a lot of benefits and similar viewpoints on regional and global security matters over the past few years. The two sides have actively coordinated and supported each other at sub-regional, regional and global forums. 

They agreed to push ahead with information and viewpoint exchanges in such organisations as the GMS, the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) to intensify cooperation in using effectively and sustainably water resources from the Mekong River for the common development and prosperity of the region and each country.

President Htin Kyaw affirmed Myanmar supports Vietnam to run for a non permanent seat at the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

As regards the East Sea issue, the two leaders shared the same opinions that any disputes in the East Sea should be settled through peaceful measures and in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

They called on the involved parties to implement fully and effectively the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea to maintain regional peace, stability, security and cooperation.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Htin Kyaw emphasised that Vietnam and Myanmar need to promote role and strengthen coordination with other ASEAN member nations to maintain internal solidarity and unity as well as promote the central role of ASEAN in regional architectures, realise the ASEAN Community’s targets, and contribute to peace and stability in the region.

Late on the day, President Htin Kyaw hosted a banquet in honour of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation.

Party leader: Parliamentary ties important to Vietnam-Myanmar relations

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) meets with Speaker of the Myanmar Parliament Mahn Win Khaing Thann 

The enhancement of relations between the Vietnamese and Myanmar legislatures is one of the important pillars in political ties between the two nations, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

During a meeting with Speaker of the Myanmar Parliament Mahn Win Khaing Thann in Naypyidaw on August 24, the Party chief hailed the effective and practical cooperation between the Vietnamese and Myanmar parliaments, especially the maintenance of delegation exchanges and exchange activities of friendship parliamentarians groups.

Vietnam always wants to strengthen cooperative relations with Myanmar and supports the country’s national reconciliation, he said.

[Vietnam, Myanmar agree on comprehensive cooperative partnership]

The Party leader informed the host about the outcomes of his earlier talks with President Htin Kyaw and stressed that the establishment of the comprehensive cooperative partnership has created an important milestone and new momentum to bring Vietnam-Myanmar relations to a new height, satisfying aspirations of the two countries’ people.

Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Thann said cooperative ties between the legislatures of Vietnam and Myanmar have been continuously reinforced and continued reaping positive outcomes.

He recalled his good impression during his official visit to Vietnam last May and highly valued the contents exchanged with Vietnam in parliamentary cooperation, especially Vietnam’s experiences in tourism development.

The Speaker voiced his hope that more and more Vietnamese businesses would invest in the Myanmar market in the future.

Party General Secretary Trong proposed the Myanmar parliament provide legal and policy support for Vietnamese enterprises to do business in the country. He expected that the Myanmar legislature would promote its role and prestige to contribute to the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership.

The two leaders also shared viewpoints on building an ASEAN of solidarity, unity and strength, contributing to regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development.

They supported the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), while strictly implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Vietnam, Myanmar sign four cooperation documents

At the talks between Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Myanmar President Htin Kyaw 

Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Myanmar’s President Htin Kyaw witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the two countries after their talks in Nay Pyi Taw on August 24.

The documents include a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in trade between the two Ministries of Industry and Trade; a cultural cooperation programme in 2017-2020 between Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture; an agreement on cooperation and mutual support in customs between Vietnam’s Finance Ministry and Myanmar’s Ministry of Planning and Finance; and an agreement on education cooperation and diploma recognition between the two countries. 

At the following press conference, the leaders informed the media on the outcomes of their talks, showing their delight to see the rapid and positive development of the two countries’ traditional friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation over the past years.

They noted huge potential for bilateral cooperation that should be tapped and informed that they agreed to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries and reached a consensus on orientations and measures to steer the implementation of the partnership with a view to asserting “a new milestone, a new height, and a new impetus” to push for the expansion of cooperation.

They said they shared viewpoints on the issues pertaining to ASEAN, the region and the world, agreeing to work closely with other ASEAN member countries to maintain the bloc’s unity, reinforce its inner cooperation, and promote its central and guiding role in the regional and international architectures.

President Htin Kyaw asserted that since establishing their diplomatic ties in May, 1975, the two countries are “always close friends”.

The State visit to Myanmar by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will chart a new course for the two countries’ cooperation, the President said, affirming that Myanmar always treasures cooperation with ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his belief that “the establishment of the comprehensive cooperative partnership and the good implementation of reached agreements will bring the two countries’ relations to a new height for the sake of their people, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the globe.”

VNA