The official visit to Vietnam from April 19-20 by Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi will enhance bilateral friendship and boost cooperation in order to create a foundation to develop the two sides partnership, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Luan Thuy Duong.

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi

This is the first official visit to Vietnam by Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also Myanmar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the President’s Office.

According to Ambassador Duong, during the visit Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the State Counsellor will hold talks and witness the signing of several important documents.

The two countries’ leaders will review the development of bilateral relations, especially since the establishment of the comprehensive cooperative partnership in August 2017 during a State visit to Myanmar by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.

They are expected to discuss measures to intensify collaboration in politics, trade, investment, defence, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, energy, telecoms, tourism, education and people-to-people exchanges.

They will also exchange views on regional issues, and discusses measures to strengthen cooperation at multilateral forums which help ensure each nation’s interests and contribute to peace, stability and development, Duong stated.

The diplomat continued by saying that over the years, delegation exchanges have consolidated bilateral friendship and trust.

Economic ties developed well, with two-way trade hitting 828.3 million USD in 2017, up 51 percent from 2016. Vietnam is now Myanmar’s ninth largest trade partner. 

Vietnam is the seventh biggest foreign investor in Myanmar with around 2.1 billion USD. Vietnam currently has 196 commercial presences in Myanmar as representative offices, subsidiaries, joint venture companies and Vietnamese-invested companies, Duong shared.

She said that the two countries have boosted bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the joint committee on bilateral cooperation and the joint sub-committee on trade.

Political consultations have also created a number of common stances between the countries in regional and international issues, she stated, adding that they have supported each other at sub-regional, regional and international forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam cooperation, Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Recent developments in bilateral defence cooperation have been appreciated, which is reflected through Vietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich’s visit to Myanmar and the Vietnam visit by Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing in 2017.

Last year, the two countries signed a cultural cooperation programme for 2017-2020 during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s Myanmar visit.

They also inked a memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation.

The diplomat expressed her belief with efforts from both sides, bilateral friendship and cooperation will reap more fruits, thus bringing about benefits for the two peoples, and for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

Myanmar State Counsellor begins official visit to Vietnam

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi began her two-day official visit to Vietnam on April 19 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

This is the first official visit to Vietnam by Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also Myanmar’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of the President’s Office, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties and tighten the Vietnam-Myanmar partnership.

Her visit takes place in a context of increased political trust and cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnam and Myanmar set up diplomatic ties on May 28, 1975. 

The two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive cooperative partnership during a State visit to Myanmar by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017. 

They have supported each other at sub-regional, regional and international forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam cooperation, Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Economic, trade and investment ties have been maintained in agriculture, fisheries, finance-banking, aviation, telecommunications, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, power device production and automobile manufacturing and assembly.

Bilateral trade hit 828.3 million USD in 2017, up 51 percent from 2016. Vietnam is the 7th biggest foreign investor in Myanmar with 70 projects worth nearly 2 billion USD.

During the visit to Myanmar by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce signed a memorandum of understanding on trade cooperation.

The two countries have regularly held meetings of the joint committee on bilateral cooperation and the joint sub-committee on trade. Trade fairs have also been held in each country to introduce products and attract investors.

In addition, bilateral security and defence relations have been tightened. Based on a defence cooperation agreement signed in 2011, the two armies have sped up all-level delegation exchanges and boosted cooperation in border management, and illegal migration and smuggling prevention.

VNA