At a Vietnam-Belarus joint venture for auto assembling in Hung Yen province. (Photo: VNA) Minsk (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador toBelarus Nguyen Van Ngu has highlighted the achievements and prospects of Vietnam-Belarusrelations, and expectations for the upcoming Vietnam visit by Belarusian PrimeMinister Roman Golovchenko fromDecember 6-9.
During an interview recently granted to the VietnamNews Agency in Belarus, the Ambassador said bilateral ties have deep roots dating back to the Soviet erawhen President Ho Chi Minh visited Belarus in 1957 and 1961, markingsignificant milestones in the development of the two countries' relations.
During the nationalconstruction process, Belarus has also assisted Vietnam in training thousandsof students, researchers and workers. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, theBelarusian Government and people provided Vietnam with medical equipment.Ambassador Ngu affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, Government and people of Vietnamwill never forget that invaluable assistance.
More than three decadessince the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992, Vietnam and Belarushave been maintaining and developing their traditional friendly relations andmultifaceted cooperation with an increasingly high level of trust, he said.
Regardingbilateral cooperation, the ambassador said Vietnam and Belarus are collaborating in numerousareas, ranging from national defence to economy, trade, culture, education, sci-tech,people-to-people and locality-to-locality exchanges. The two countries haveestablished a solid legal framework to promote cooperation in various fields,with about 50 cooperation agreements, including international treaties and agreementsbetween ministries and agencies. Around 10 Vietnamese provinces haveestablished friendly and cooperative relations with 6 out of 7 provincial-level localities of Belarus.
Onthe international front, Vietnam and Belarus share fundamentally similar stancesand regularly consult each other at various forums and multilateral mechanisms.Vietnam has already implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EurasianEconomic Union (EAEU), of which Belarus is a member. Ngubelieved that there remains ample potential for bilateral cooperation, especiallyin economy, trade and investment.
Accordingto him, the key products of both countries complement each other rather thancompete. Vietnam has many products of strength such as rice, coffee, tea,seafood and apparel that are well-known globally. Meanwhile, Belarus has renownedproducts like potassium fertiliser, agricultural machinery, meat, dairyproducts, and various high-quality items. There are also many areas in sci-tech cooperation that the two countries could further step up.Herevealed that during the upcoming visit by the Belarusian PM, ministries andagencies will finalise the signing of a cooperation agreement in sci-tech. Thetwo countries are actively discussing an agreement that would exempt theircitizens from visa requirements.
Inconclusion, he wished that following the visit, the two countries’ ministries, agencies,localities and businesses would understand each other better and formulate initiativesand contracts to realise their cooperation potential./.
