Belarus, as a member of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, will step up the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to be signed soon between Vietnam and the Union, President Alexander Lukashenko has said.

>> Vietnam discusses strengthening military technology cooperation with Belarus

The Belarusian President made the statement during a meeting with Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who arrived in Belarus on Wednesday for a three-day visit. The host also said Belarus will create good conditions for Vietnamese goods to penetrate into its market, especially farm produce, coffee, seafood, garments and woodwork. General Secretary Trong told his host that Vietnam treasures the traditional friendship with Belarus and wishes to expand multi-faceted cooperation with the Eastern European country, especially in economics and trade.

The two leaders also agreed to facilitate both countries’ businesses to seek cooperation opportunities in various fields including information and telecommunications. They highly valued the effective defense cooperation between the two countries over the past time, and the host pledged that Belarus will continue to provide training for Vietnamese military officers and expand training programs in Vietnam. The two leaders also agree to strengthen cooperation in education, training, culture, sports, tourism, and terrorism and trans-national crime combat. In respect of the East Sea issue, the two sides voiced their concern over recent complicated developments in the area. They shared the same view that concerned parties will settle their disputes by peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). The same day, the Vietnamese leader and his entourage laid a wreath at the Monument to Victory in Minsk city.

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