At the talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son his visiting Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov in Hanoi on March 18. (Photo: VNA) Stressingthat it is the first visit to Vietnam by an Uzbek foreign minister since thetwo countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, Son said this occasionserves as an opportunity for both sides to review and agree on directions andmeasures to strengthen the longstanding friendship and to promote practical bilateral cooperation in areas of their strengths.
Hetook note of the impressive growth of bilateral trade between 2021 and now,averaging over 30% per year. In 2023, the figure reached 159.7 million USD, up32% year on year.
Vietnamalways values its relations with traditional friends, including Uzbekistan, theminister affirmed, hoping that the two nations will continue to leverage theirpolitical foundation and good relations, creating new momentum for enhancedcooperation that aligns with their needs, desires, and strengths.
Saidov,who is on an official visit to Vietnam from March 17-19, praised the resultsof Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and “bamboo” diplomacy, which havecontributed to enhancing its position in the region and the world.
Statingthat Vietnam is among Uzbekistan's traditional and important partners in theregion, he expressed his desire to deepen the bilateral collaboration towards effectiveness, especially in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, andeducation.
Saidov expected that Vietnam would serve as a bridge to help Uzbekistan furtherstrengthen its cooperation with the region, including the expansion of jointwork between ASEAN and Central Asia.
Theministers exchanged information on their respective country’s socio-economic development,major foreign policy directions, while reviewing the bilateral cooperation and the implementationof agreements reached by high-level leaders in the past period.
Theyagreed that the Vietnamese and Uzbek foreign ministries need to maintain their informationexchange mechanism, enhance coordination, and play a coordinating role toconnect the two countries' ministries and sectors to explore potential and seeknew collaboration opportunities.
Onthis occasion, Son thanked Uzbekistan for creating favourableconditions for the Vietnamese expat community in the country./.
VNA
