Vietnam, Azerbaijan look to boost oil and gas co-operation
VOV.VN - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov have agreed to continue strengthening co-operation in the field of oil and gas, a move which is a long-term strategic priority of both sides.
During their recent working session, the two officials discussed the common situation regarding economic and trade co-operation moving forward.
According to Deputy Minister An, both countries have maintained a close and traditional friendship for many decades. In September, the two sides will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
The co-operation mechanism in place is therefore being greatly expanded, demonstrated by the successful organization of the two meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee on economics and trade, as well as scientific and technical co-operation in 2016 in Hanoi and 2018 in Baku.
However, bilateral economic and trade co-operation has yet to fulfil its full potential, as shown by the fact that import and export turnover between the two countries still accounts for a small proportion of the total foreign trade turnover of each side. Indeed, the structure of import and export goods still remains limited, Deputy Minister An went on to say.
The Deputy Minister also suggested that both sides continue to be more active in grasping market information, whilst encouraging firms of the two countries to participate in fairs and exhibitions as a way of enhancing trade promotion and connectivity activities.
Agreeing with the remarks made by the Vietnamese Deputy Minister, Ambassador Imanov said that in order to further improve joint trade ties, Azerbaijan is looking forward to expanding co-operation in garments and textiles through the establishment of joint ventures and production bases.
With regard to the organisation of the third meeting of the Vietnam - Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Committee on economic-trade and scientific-technical co-operation, the Deputy Minister consented to assign units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to urgently co-ordinate with competent ministries in preparing for this meeting, which is slated for the second quarter of the year in Vietnam.
At the end of the working session, Deputy Minister An affirmed his Ministry's readiness to support initiatives put forth by both sides and unite with Azerbaijani partners in order to augment bilateral co-operation in a more effective and substantive manner moving forward.