Vietnam and Turkey agreed to beef up their cooperation in various fields, including civil aviation, agriculture, Halal, and defense industries as part of a joint statement issued by the two countries during Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Turkey from November 29 to 30.

The statement said that this was the first official visit to Turkey by a Vietnamese prime minister since the establishment of the Vietnam-Turkey diplomatic ties in 1978.

The visit also carried a more significant meaning as it took place on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations and the 100th founding anniversary of Turkey.

Both sides attached great importance to bilateral trade and economic cooperation and expressed their joy at the recent positive trajectory in their bilateral trade.

They highlighted the need to raise trade to US$4 billion by accelerating trade promotion and business matchmaking events, as well as seeking to remove obstacles hindering such trade.

Vietnam expressed its satisfaction with the decision that the passenger terminal of the Long Thanh International Airport project, a major initiative situated in southern Dong Nai Province, will be developed by a consortium led by a Turkish firm.

The Southeast Asian nation called on Turkish businesses to continue investing in the nation.

Both nations agreed to enhance civil aviation cooperation with the aim of boosting tourism and trade.

They pledged to engage in more detailed discussions to streamline approval procedures, particularly focusing on facilitating the import and export of agricultural and animal products.

They will also team up to develop the Halal industry in Vietnam. Halal refers to food products and services that adhere to Muslim law.

Both sides reached a consensus on opening the Turkish Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as tightening collaboration in the highly-potential defense industry and in fighting against crimes, with a focus on transnational, organized crimes, and terrorism.

To enhance the legal framework for their cooperation, Vietnam and Turkey pledged to ramp up negotiations on bilateral agreements in defense, security, and extradition.

As part of the joint statement, Vietnam expressed its deepest condolences to the Turkish government and people for their huge losses triggered by earthquakes in February this year and showed its great admiration for their efforts to cope with the aftermath. 

Turkey highly appreciated the valuable support of the Vietnamese government and people for their assistance in dealing with the devastating events, including the deployment of 100 soldiers and police officiers to aid the search and rescue operations along with financial support of US$900,000 from the Vietnamese government and the Vietnam Red Cross Society.

The two countries also agreed to beef up cooperation on technical training and pledged to share with each other experience in search, rescue, and disaster relief services.

They acknowledged the importance of elevating their friendship and cooperation to a new high.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus expressed their thanks to Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue for inviting them to visit Vietnam at a proper time.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!