According to the diplomat, the Vietnam - Iran relationship has seen marked developments, with the opening of the Iranian Embassy in Hanoi in 1991, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Tehran in 1997 as milestones.
Over the past years, the traditional political and diplomatic ties have been growing fruitfully, as reflected through high-level visits by leaders of the two countries, he continued, adding that the two sides reached various cooperation agreements in such areas as economy, trade, culture, science-technology, agriculture and customs, and established important cooperation mechanisms.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Luong Quoc Huy speaking at the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Iran diplomatic ties |
Their two-way trade exceeded 500 million USD before the COVID-19 outbreak, and stood at over 100 million USD last year, excluding trade revenue through third countries.
Huy stressed that the two economies are complementary as Iran has strengths in natural resources, science, technology, and oil and gas, while Vietnam has advantages in agriculture, handicrafts, fisheries, and human resources.
As members of many international organizations, the two countries have provided mutual support at multilateral forums, he added.
Regarding the upcoming visit to Iran by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, the ambassador said the two sides expect to sign many cooperation agreements in trade, agriculture, justice and sports, as well as exchanges between localities on this occasion.
There will be a range of activities, including a law and policy forum aiming to enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, a Vietnamese culture week, and exhibitions within the framework of the visit.
Such activities aim to mark the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties, strengthen cooperation across spheres, and advance the Vietnam - Iran relationship, Huy said.
To foster the cooperation, the ambassador suggested the two countries further implement the cooperation documents and mechanisms they signed and established over the past years.
They should create conditions for their goods to enter respective markets, jointly organize trade promotion activities, hasten negotiations for and signing of a preferential trade arrangement, and seek suitable payment methods, he said.
The diplomatic also suggested the two countries enhance the exchange of delegations, especially at high level, promote people-to-people diplomacy and intensify cooperation between localities, while strengthening collaboration in science-technology, education-training, culture and tourism.
According to the ambassador, the 10th meeting of the Vietnam - Iran Inter-governmental Committee, scheduled for later this year, will be a highlight of cooperation activities in 2023.
The mechanism sets forth plans and measures for cooperation in economy, trade, banking, investment, science-technology, and culture, among other fields, he explained.
Source: VNA