The Vietnamese leader warmly welcomedthe visit, saying that it reflects Israeli leaders’ wish to further deepen the friendshipand cooperation between the two countries.
President Ruvi Rivlin, for his part, expressedhis joy to visit Vietnam for the first time and his admiration for Vietnamesepeople’s determination to defend national independence and their peace-lovingspirit.
He said he believes that closeliaison between the two governments and business communities would speed up bilateraleconomic and trade links.
Expressing delight at the progress ofall-faceted coordination across trade, agriculture, science-technology, andtraining, the two leaders set economic ties as a focus and science-technologyas a priority pillar in the countries’ future cooperation.
Accordingly, they vowed to lifttwo-way trade to 3 billion USD in the coming years by accelerating negotiationsand signing of the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), facilitatingtrade ties between businesses and localities, and boosting investment in hi-techagriculture, human resources training, informationtechnology-electronics-communications, and water treatment.
The Israeli leader committed toassisting Vietnam in treating and cleaning up soil contaminated with AgentOrange.
Host and guest also discussed ideasto push forward connections across national defence-security, culture,education-training, tourism, and between the countries’ localities.
On the political front, they wereunanimous on increasing the exchange of visits and direct collaboration betweenministries, agencies and localities while utilizing the effective role ofbilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as the Inter-Governmental Committee andpolitical consultation.
On regional and global issues ofshared concern, the Presidents underscored the important role of cooperation inmaintaining peace and stability in the world.
The Vietnamese side reaffirmed itspolicy of settling disputes, including the East Sea dispute, by peaceful meansand full respect to diplomatic and legal processes in line with basicprinciples of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Conventionon the Law of the Sea.
Vietnam wishes for early peace in theMiddle East, President Quang said, adding that the country supports everyeffort made by the region, the world and parties concerned to restore peace inthe region based on international law and the UN resolutions towards reachingcomprehensive, fair, and sustainable solutions to establishing an independentand sovereign Palestinian State which peacefully co-exists with the State of Israel.
He reiterated Vietnam’s unswerving external policy of being a friend and areliable partner of other countries and striving for peace, independence and development.
In that policy, Vietnam highly valuesthe development of friendship and cooperation with the Middle East countries,including Israel, and wishes to carry forward the effective and stable Vietnam-Israelties for the benefit of the two peoples, and for the sake of peace andfriendship in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the world, he added.
Concluding the talks, the leaders metthe media to inform them the outcomes of their talks.
President Quang said both sides laudedthe signing of a cooperation agreement on technological innovation, researchand development, which will support businesses in the field.
The host welcomed nearly 30 Israelifirms to Vietnam during the visit to attend two business forums in Hanoi and HoChi Minh City, and hoped that a number of partnership contents will be reached.
The Israeli leader, for his part, statedthat his visit will lay a foundation for new partnerships to improve the livingconditions of the two countries’ people, especially in hi-tech agriculture, hi-techwater treatment and purification, education, health care, cyber security,national defence-security.
He believed that the potential ofbilateral cooperation is huge and hoped that the bilateral FTA will be signedsoon.
Israel is interested not only in bilateral trade cooperation but also inbuilding bilateral ties on the foundation of friendship, he said. -VNA