At the talks, which took place following a welcome ceremony for the Kazakh leader the same day, Thuong spoke highly of achievements Kazakhstan has recorded in politics and socio-economic development.

Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship with Kazakhstan, regarding the country as a leading important partner in Central Asia, the host leader affirmed.

Tokayev lauded Vietnam’s reform policy as well as its socio-economic performance and its improving prestige in the international arena, saying the Kazakh State always treasures the long-standing friendship with Vietnam and considers the country one of the most important partners in Asia-Pacific.

The two leaders agreed on many specific measures to deepen the bilateral ties, and shared their views on regional and international issues of shared concern.

Both affirmed the importance of all-level delegation exchanges, saying the two sides have effectively put in place existing cooperation mechanisms as well as those between ministries, agencies and localities to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and create momentum for multifaceted collaboration.

Host and guest consented to maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Vietnam stands ready to serve as a bridge for Kazakhstan to foster cooperation with other Southeast Asian countries, while Kazakhstan will help Vietnam step up collaboration with other countries in Central Asia.

The leaders rejoiced at the positive developments in economic, trade and investment cooperation, including the effective implementation of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) of which Kazakhstan is a member.

However, they noted ample room and potential remain for Vietnam and Kazakhstan to boost their cooperation.

President Thuong proposed that Kazakhstan support the launch of negotiations for the upgrade of the free trade agreement to meet the requirements of the reality and create more new opportunities for bilateral trade.

The Kazakh President said he hopes the two sides will work closely together to reach the target of 1.5 billion USD in two-way trade. He affirmed the strong support of bilateral cooperation in logistics connections, transportation and agriculture. He suggested the establishment of a Vietnam-Kazakhstan Business Council to promote collaboration among businesses of both sides.

The two sides shared a hope to bolster investment cooperation by strengthening the exchange of information on the investment environment and providing favourable conditions for businesses of the two sides to access each other’s market. The two sides should consider the possibility of establishing joint ventures in the fields of strength and demand such as garment-textiles, Halal food processing, seafood and canned food to supply the Central Asia market, they agreed.

They concurred to expand partnership to other potential areas such as transportation, education-training, culture, sports, tourism, finance, banking, and high technology. The two leaders welcomed the opening of a direct air route between Vietnam and Kazakhstan in October 2022. They expressed belief that the signing of a bilateral visa exemption agreement for passport holders and a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of tourism on this occasion will contribute to enhancing tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The Vietnamese and Kazakh leaders witness the signing of cooperation agreements. (Photo: VNA)

President Thuong thanked the Kazakh President and State for giving favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study and work stably in Kazakhstan.

President Tokayev took the occasion to invite President Thuong to visit his country at a future time that works for both sides. President Thuong accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements, including the agreement on the transfer of persons sentenced to imprisonment, and the agreement on visa exemption for popular passport holders. They also discussed a joint action plan to promote economic-trade cooperation in the 2023-2025 period, an MOU on cooperation in the field of tourism, and one between Vietnam Television (VTV) and Agency Khabar, a major media outlet in Kazakhstan.

Vietnam wants to enhance multifaceted cooperation with Kazakhstan: NA Chairman

Vietnam highly values the position and role of Kazakhstan in the Central Asian region and wants to enhance multifaceted cooperation with the country, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said while meeting with visiting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Hanoi on August 21.

Lauding the outcomes of the guest’s talks with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and his meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Hue expressed his confidence that the signed documents between the two sides will create a favorable legal framework to promote the traditional friendship and collaboration between the two countries in the upcoming time in a more comprehensive and effective manner.

The top legislator stressed that the Vietnamese NA and himself always support the two nations’ comprehensive cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, investment, transport, tourism, education, training, culture, and defence-security.

Hue announced with delight that the bilateral parliamentary ties have so far yielded significant results. He expressed his hope that Tokayev, who previously served as the Chairman of the Kazakh Senate, would support the Vietnamese NA and the Kazakh Parliament in inheriting and elevating their existing good cooperative relations, towards the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement.

On the occasion, Hue invited the chairpersons of the Senate and of the Mäjilis (lower house) of Kazakhstan to officially visit Vietnam and send a delegation to attend the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians scheduled to take place in Hanoi in September. In response, Tokayev said that the Kazakh Parliament will send a delegation to the conference.

The NA Chairman said he hoped that the President himself, the Parliament and the Government of Kazakhstan will continue to pay attention and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese expatriate community to live, study, work, and integrate in Kazakhstan.

Agreeing with his host, Tokayev expressed his wish that both sides would work together to promote the achieved cooperation outcomes and further enhance partnerships in the fields of economy, trade, and investment.

The Kazakh President noted Vietnam is a key partner of Kazakhstan in Southeast Asia and that amid numerous international changes, their enduring solidarity and traditional friendship have become increasingly important. He also thanked Vietnam for its participation in the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) hosted by Kazakhstan.
 
The President hoped that the two parliaments will fortify their collaboration and exchange experiences, bringing about mutual benefits. He took this occasion to invite Hue to soon pay an official visit to Kazakhstan.

Party General Secretary receives Kazakh President

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception in Hanoi on August 21 for Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in which he affirmed that Vietnam always treasures the development and reinforcement of ties with traditional friends, including Kazakhstan.

Trong said the Vietnamese Party, State and people always remember and appreciate the invaluable support that the Kazakh people provided for Vietnam during the past struggles for national independence and the current cause of national construction and development.

Speaking highly of the fine outcomes of the talks and meetings between the Kazakh President and Vietnamese leaders, the Party chief exchanged views with the guest on several major orientations and measures to elevating the bilateral traditional friendship to a new height and fostering the comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of the people of both nations and making positive contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Tokayev, for his part, affirmed that Kazakhstan always treasures the long-standing friendly relations between the two countries, and regards Vietnam as a top partner in Southeast Asia.

He underlined the importance of enhancing relations between political parties of Kazakhstan and the Communist Party of Vietnam, considering it a crucial channel in the bilateral relationship.

The President also agreed on major measures to deepen the bilateral ties, particularly in economy, trade and investment. He suggested the two sides take full advantage of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) of which Kazakhstan is a member, as well as paying attention to cultural cooperation to raise mutual understanding between the two countries’ people and young generations.

Prime Minister meets with President of Kazakhstan

Vietnam always values its friendship with traditional partner countries in the Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, and wants to enhance multifaceted cooperation between the two nations for the mutual benefit of both countries and their people, affirmed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at his meeting with visiting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Hanoi on August 21.

Commending positive developments in the bilateral relationship, particularly in politics, diplomacy, economy, and trade, the PM suggested that both sides increase their exchange of visits and meetings at all levels, and continue to support each other at multilateral forums and international organisations, especially the United Nations and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The Kazakh President stated that Kazakhstan regards Vietnam as an important partner in the Asia-Pacific region and hopes to further strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Southeast Asian country, particularly in economy, trade, and investment, based on shared values and interests.

Chinh praised the nations’ effective implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). He also noted that there remain untapped potential and ample room for the sides to complement each other and develop together.

He suggested Kazakhstan continue to create favourable conditions for strong Vietnamese goods such as agro-fishery products, textiles, and woodwork to access the Kazakh market. Both sides should collaborate to speed up the amendment of the FTA to further facilitate bilateral trade and investment.

In response, Tokayev assured that he will direct the Kazakh Government to focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields mentioned by Chinh, particularly transport, logistics, culture, tourism, finance, and digital transformation. He expressed his wish to further promote the role of the Vietnam-Kazakhstan intergovernmental committee on economic-trade and sci-tech cooperation and push for the implementation of specific projects between the two nations.

Chinh hoped that in addition to the signing of the mutual visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders and the memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation, the President’s visit will open up more opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, promote tourism cooperation, and facilitate trade between the nations.

On the occasion, the PM thanked Kazakhstan for its support for Vietnamese citizens living, working, and studying in Kazakhstan. He urged continued favourable conditions created for Vietnamese enterprises to invest and do business there.

Joint press release on Kazakh President’s Vietnam visit issued

A joint press release on the outcomes of the official visit to Vietnam by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev from August 20-22 has been issued.

The visit is being made at the invitation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, during which, President Tokayev met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong; held talks with President Thuong; met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue; and visited several economic and cultural establishments in Bac Ninh and Hai Duong provinces.

The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on measures to enhance cooperation in politics, economy-trade, investment, transport and logistics, culture, and tourism as well as various issues of mutual interest on the international and regional agenda.

At their talks, the two Presidents agreed to facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels through Party, State, Government and parliamentary channels as well as people-to-people exchanges. They vowed to uphold the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Commission, political consultations and other mechanisms to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and expand bilateral cooperation in multiple sectors.

In economic and trade ties, the two sides discussed promising cooperation areas such as tourism, information technology, agriculture, transport and logistics. They expressed readiness to take full advantages of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union to boost two-way trade in the near future.  

The leaders welcomed the launching of direct flights between Vietnam and Kazakhstan in October 2022, which has provided opportunities to boost their economic, trade, investment, tourism, and cultural cooperation.

They expressed their interest in stepping up education collaboration in line with the Protocol signed on January 3, 2017 amending certain provisions of the relevant agreement between the two governments inked on September 15, 2009.

High-ranking leaders from both countries emphasised the importance of enhancing cultural exchanges, including the expansion of cooperation and exchanges in such fields as science, sports, and health care to strengthen their people’s bond, strengthen mutual understanding, enrich cultural diversity, and promote the overall relations.

President Vo Van Thuong and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appreciated the close coordination and mutual support within international organisations and multilateral forums, especially the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), to reinforce collaboration among participating countries for peace, development, and prosperity in the region. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge for Kazakhstan to enhance cooperation with ASEAN and Southeast Asian countries.

Both sides exchanged views on the international and regional situation, including recent developments in the East Sea. They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability, as well as resolving disputes through peaceful means based on international law and the United Nations Charter.

During the visit, the two countries signed several cooperation agreements in various fields.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited President Vo Van Thuong to visit Kazakhstan at a suitable time, with the latter accepting the invitation with pleasure. The timing of the visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.

Source: VNA