Representatives from Bac Ninh province and East Kazakhstan region sign a memorandum of understanding on establishing a twinning relationship between the two localities. (Source: VNA)

The meeting was part of the working trip to to Kazakhstan from November 13-16 by a delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam led by Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Theory Council and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA).

At the meeting, a memorandum of understanding on establishing a twinning relationship between the two localities was signed by Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh provincial People's Committee Le Xuan Loi and Governor of East Kazakhstan region Yermek Kosherbayev.

At the meeting, Tuan highlighted a new step of development in the Vietnam-Kazakhstan relations following the official visit to Vietnam by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in August last year, during which the President visited Bac Ninh province and highly valued potential for bilateral cooperation. After that, the two sides discussed, and reached agreement on relevant contents, and completed the content of the MoU for signing at this time.

Tuan said that he believes the signing of the MoU will open up cooperation in various fields, and contribute to the development of both countries.

With advantages on industrial zones, industrial production, agriculture, foreign investment attraction and Vietnam-Kazakhstan direct flights, the two localities will further promote cultural and tourism exchanges, carry out local promotional activities, thereby luring more tourists from the East Kazakhstan region in particular and Kazakhstan in general to Bac Ninh and Vietnam, and vice versa, Tuan said.

For his part, Governor Kosherbayev agreed with the necessity to realise the policy of expanding and strengthening bilateral cooperation agreed during the Kazakh President's Vietnam visit, matching the sound political relations between the two countries.

Education, culture, trade, investment and tourism are first areas that the two countries eyes to promote cooperation, he said.

The governor showed his interest in cooperation in high technology, saying that it is possible to consider the establishment of industrial zones for processing products and exporting them to third countries, as well as launching a joint venture for wool processing.

Earlier, while staying in Astana capital, the Bac Ninh delegation attended working sessions with presentatives of Kazakhstan’s ruling party Amanat, a workshop on bilateral relations on the occasion of 65 years of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to Kazakhstan (July 1959) held at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KISI). The delegation presented the institute with a bronze bust of President Ho Chi Minh.