Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung on September 26 presented President Tran Dai Quang’s credentials to Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes.

Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung presents President Tran Dai Quang’s credentials to Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes (Source: Embassy)

At the ceremony, which was also attended by Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, Dung conveyed President Quang’s greetings and invitation to visit Vietnam to President Cartes. The Paraguayan leader accepted the invitation with pleasure and affirmed to arrange the visit in the time to come.

While in Asuncion, the diplomat paid a courtesy visit to Speaker of the Congress Fernando Lugo and held working sessions with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Avalos Gimenez and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Oscar Stark to discuss measures to boost bilateral relations and exchange views on issues of mutual concern.

The Paraguayan officials showed their hope that the two nations will tighten political ties and intensify the bilateral comprehensive cooperation through State, people-to-people and parliamentary diplomacy channels.

They held that Paraguay and Vietnam should effectively maintain existing cooperative mechanisms, and welcomed the strengthened connectivity between businesses of the two countries.

Both sides agreed to coordinate more closely to seek ways to minimise difficulties in geographical distance and goods prices in order to better mutual understanding and promote bilateral relations, especially in economy, trade and investment.

They also pledged that Vietnam and Paraguay will serve as bridges connecting the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Vietnam and Paraguay established diplomatic ties on May 30, 1995. Two-way trade exceeded 75 million USD in 2016, a year-on-year rise of 24.9 percent.

Last year, Vietnam was the fourth biggest importer of beef from Paraguay, after Chile, Russia and Brazil.

VNA