State President Nguyen Minh Triet put forward the proposal at a meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi in capital Tunis on April 13.

He said both countries should increase the exchange of visits at all levels and support each other in regional and international forums. He urged them to strengthen cooperation in oil & gas, tourism and fertilizer production -- the areas they can support each other -- and create favourable conditions for their commodities to penetrate their regional markets.

Vietnam wants to expand cooperation with Tunisia in all areas to make full use of their strength, said Mr Triet.

For his part, PM Ghannouchi said the Tunisian people are impressed by the Vietnamese people’s heroic and courageous spirits in their past struggle for national liberation, as well as their tremendous achievements in national construction at present.

He said Tunisia and Vietnam have many things in common, citing the fact that they give top priority to education, vocational training, human resource and economic development, and social equality, while embarking on an open foreign policy.

The PM said the upcoming session of the Vietnam-Tunisia Joint Committee will offer a big chance for the two business communities to sign agreements to lay a firm legal foundation for increasing trade and investment ties.

He vowed to work hard to raise two-way trade to US$100 million soon and establish joint business partnerships to penetrate the third markets.

President Triet conveyed PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s invitation to visit Vietnam and attend the second Vietnam-Africa forum to PM Ghannouchi. The forum is due to take place in August 2010.

Later, Mr Triet visited Vietnamese officials, engineers and workers of the Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP), who are putting the finishing touches to an oil exploitation project on the Eastern part of Tunisia. Feasibility studies, which began in February 2008, show that there is a big possibility of finding oil there.

Mr Triet praised the corporation for expanding its operations to a number of countries worldwide, including Africa. He said the oil sector’s efficient operations in Tunisia will help strengthen ties between the two countries.

Earlier, Mr Triet, who has been Tunisia, held talks with Zein al-Abidin Ben Ali.