Mr Manh made the statement while meeting with visiting Slovak National Council Speaker Pavol Paska and his delegation in Hanoi on January 27.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem received Mr Paska at the Government’s Office.

Current bilateral relations still fall below the potential of each country, said Mr Khiem at the meeting. He urged Mr Paska to join efforts to set up an inter-governmental cooperation committee.

The establishment of the committee, together with the opening of the Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia, will lift the two countries’ cooperation to a new level, affirmed the Deputy PM.

Mr Paska said that the opening of a direct air route linking the two countries’ capitals will help contribute to boosting bilateral trade and multifaceted cooperation.

During the visit, a joint Vietnam-Slovakia business exchange was held in Hanoi to increase economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Addressing the event, the Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly, Nguyen Duc Kien, said that it is time for the business communities of the two countries to boost investment cooperation.

He expressed his hoped that businesses would discuss specific measures to this end and establish partnerships on entering the huge European and ASEAN markets.

Mr Paska said that Slovakia and Vietnam can cooperate in energy, transport, health care and national defence.

Slovakia supports bilateral cooperation and it believes that such cooperation will bring about good results, the speaker affirmed.