Vietnam and Belarus issued a joint statement on strengthening and fostering their friendship and all-faceted cooperation during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to Belarus on November 26-27.

The two sides agreed to boost political dialogues at all levels regarding bilateral issues as well as regional and international matters of mutual concerns.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Belarusian President A. Lukashenko

They reached a consensus on paving the way for accelerating cooperation in economy, trade, investment, machinery manufacturing, agriculture, petrochemical technology, light industry, information technology, electronics, mining and other fields.

They agreed to study the possibility of launching a direct flight route between the two countries and granting visa exemption for short business trips.

They noted the need to further the role of the Vietnam-Belarus Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation and come up with favourable conditions to make it easier for Vietnamese and Belarusian businesses to set up links.

The two sides were pleased with the negotiating process of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, consenting to work harder for the signing in early 2015.

They underscored the importance and necessity of respecting respective independence, equality and territorial integrity as well as the principle of not interfering in the other’s internal affairs and not using force or threatening to use force and that on mutually-beneficial cooperation for peace, stability and development.

Both sides agreed to consolidate their dialogue, collaboration, consultancy and support at international forums for peace, security, prosperity and development in compliance with international legal norms and principle and the UN Charter.

Belarus supports the settlement of territorial disputes, including that in the East Sea, by peaceful means, and the early establishment of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea to safeguard maritime safety and security in the sea area in compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

Vietnam affirmed to back Belarus’ bids to reinforce multi-dimensional cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

Both sides underlined the importance of tackling the issues that could affect global security, like terrorism, separatism, and organised crimes by consolidating bilateral, regional and international collaboration at all levels.

They stressed the necessity of persistently implementing disarmament globally and strengthening the principle of non-proliferation of destructive mass weapons, especially nuclear weapons, while ensuring the nations’ rights to research, develop, use, transfer and be transferred with nuclear, chemical and biological technology for peaceful purposes are observed.

Source: VNA