Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung lead their respective sides at a bilateral meeting in Hanoi on Friday. Photo: PID
BSS, Hanoi
Bangladesh and Vietnam on Friday agreed to further strengthen relations between the two countries in agriculture, trade and economic sectors as well as political areas.
Their consensus came at the official talks between the two countries in the Vietnamese capital.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung led the respective sides at the bilateral meeting held at Government Office (Prime Minister Office) here.
“After a long interval of exchange of visits of the top leadership of the two countries, I’m confident that my visit would open up a new era in our bilateral relations,” Hasina said at a press briefing after the talks.
Bangladesh and Vietnam would open avenues to strengthen relations at political, official and business levels leading to newer areas of cooperation, she hoped.
Tan Dung said both sides held wide range of discussions related to mutual interest and bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.
“Bangladesh has officially recognised the market economy status of Vietnam which is very important to promote the potentiality of trade and ties between the two nations,” he said.
Hasina said: “As two countries’ economies are based on agriculture, we can work together for food production, food processing to ensure food security for the benefit of two nations.”
Mentioning that Bangladesh has immense opportunities for business, she invited the Vietnamese investors, distinguished persons and media people to visit Bangladesh to see its overall progress in the bid to become a regional economic hub.
“We always admire Vietnamese people for their struggle and their liberation. People of Vietnam have set up an example to us and world,” she said, recalling her support during her student life in favour of the liberation of Vietnam.
The Vietnamese prime minister said, “We have found directions for improvement of relations and cooperation between the two countries in politics, diplomacy, security and economic trade, investment and agriculture, information and communication, cultural and tourism and other few areas.”
He said both sides are maintaining exchange of visits at all levels, including high-level, to fostering the existing cooperation mechanism between the two countries such as formation of a joint commission.
Tan Dung said the foreign ministries of the two countries would initiate talks and organise the first-ever political-level consultation next year to cement the bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern.
“We agreed to create a favourable atmosphere for the companies of the two countries in business and investment areas like consumer goods production, fishery processing and telecommunications.”
Both sides also concurred to facilitate maritime trade and simplification of administrative procedures, he said.
Earlier, the two prime ministers held a tete-e-tete meeting for about 15 minutes when the prime minister invited her Vietnamese counterpart to visit Bangladesh at his earliest convenient time.
PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the Vietnamese premier accepted Hasina’s invitation and hoped that the tour would be taken place as soon as possible.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin were present.
Source: The Daily Star