Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh and Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Wunna MaungLwin reached this consensus during the eighth meeting of the JointCommittee on Cooperation between Vietnam and Myanmar in the Myanmarcapital Nay Pyi Taw on May 29, which coincided with the 40thanniversary of diplomatic ties (May 28, 1975-2015).
They pledged to continue the facilitation of all-level visits via theState, Government and National Assembly channels while effectivelyutilising the existing cooperation mechanisms, such as the deputyministerial-level political consultation and the Sub-Committee on Trade.
Myanmar’s Foreign Minister announced theestablishment of the Myanmar–Vietnam Friendship Association, led by aDeputy Minister under the Office of the President, to increase mutualunderstanding and dialogues.
The two sidesexpressed their resolve to lift bilateral trade to 500 million USD thisyear. A number of Vietnamese projects operating in Myanmar were hailedas profitable, including a hotel, office and shopping complex run byHoang Anh Gia Lai in Yangon and an oil and gas joint-venture betweenPetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation and Myanmar Oil and GasEnterprise.
The Government of Myanmar isconsidering granting an investment licence to the Bank for Investmentand Development of Vietnam (BIDV) to set up Myanmar branch and is takingnote of the proposals to provide further support for Vietnamese firmsoperating in the country, U Wunna Maung Lwin said.
Host and guest promised to effectively implement the defence cooperationagreement signed in September 2001, to improve the effectiveness of theannual security dialogue, and to promptly set up a defence policydialogue mechanism.
Bilateral cooperation ondefence and crime prevention, information and experience sharing,education and training, culture, and science-technology will bestrengthened, including joint research on lotus fiber weaving.
In terms of regional and global issues, they reiterated theircontinued mutual collaboration at multilateral forums, pledged tocoordinate with other ASEAN member states to establish the ASEANEconomic Community later this year, and maintain ASEAN’s central roleand common voice in dealing with regional issues.
Myanmar expressed its wish for a settlement of the East Sea issue bypeaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982Convention on the Law of the Sea, and efforts towards concluding a Codeof Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
The ninth meeting of this kind will be held in Vietnam in 2017.-VNA