President Sang greets Korean and Philippine counterparts in Vladivostok
State President Truong Tan Sang met with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung-bak and President of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino on the fringe of the APEC 20 in Vladivostok on September 9.
RoK President Lee Myung-bak expressed his delight at the fine development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the RoK over the years and spoke highly of diverse activities launched in the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Year 2012.
He said both sides need to further boost economic and trade cooperation to lift two-way trade turnover to US$20 billion before 2015.
President Sang insisted that Vietnam and the RoK take practical measures to deal with pending issues based on mutual understanding and willingness to share difficulties.
He also asked the RoK to create the best possible conditions for Vietnamese guest workers to work there.
At another meeting, President Sang and his Filipino counterpart Aquino discussed ways to upgrade bilateral relations. They agreed that in the near future, ASEAN need to reinforce solidarity, give top priority to building an ASEAN community by 2015 and bring into full play its central role resolving important issues for the sake of peace, security and prosperity in the region.
The same day, President Sang and his delegation left Vladivostok for Kazakhstan to pay a State-level visit from September 10-11 at the invitation of his counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.