VOV.VN - The Party and State of Vietnam always attribute great importance to maintaining the fine close-knit relationship with Belarus, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a reception for Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Lyashenko in Hanoi on September 25.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives
Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Lyashenko. 

PM Phuc highly appreciated the fine sentiment of Belarusian leaders and their people towards Vietnam, especially their assistance given to the people in the central region in helping them overcoming the consequences of natural disasters. He also showed his appreciation for both sides' close cooperation at international organizations and forums, especially at the United Nations.

Deputy PM Igor Lyashenko thanked the Vietnamese government leader for always supporting the promotion of bilateral relations, saying that at the meetings with the leaders of Vietnamese agencies, his delegation always receive considerable assistance and goodwill for cooperation. He said he believes that with the great efforts from both sides, bilateral trade turnover is likely to reach US$500 million this year.

At the meeting, PM Phuc also urged Vietnam and Belarus to step up cooperation in automobile production and voiced the Vietnamese government’s strong support for the proposal on setting up joint ventures in this field. 

The presence of the Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister at the September 26 inauguration ceremony of the automobile production and assembly joint venture MAZ ASIA reflects the Belarusian government’s interest in bilateral cooperation with Vietnam, Phuc said.

Deputy PM Igor Lyashenko said trade ties between Vietnam and Belarus should be switch to the form of establishing industrial manufacturing joint ventures to serve the two sides’ needs. He suggested establishing a joint venture on tyre production in Belarus using rubber materials of Vietnam to reach out to Eurasian markets. He also proposed setting up a fertilizer production joint venture in Vietnam.