July 31, 2006
VN, Venezuela sign pacts, set up cooperation landmark

(Saigon Times Daily) -"Vietnam and Venezuela erected new milestones in their relations, signing three agreements during a Vietnam visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to expand bilateral cooperation.

Chávez and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Minh Triet witnessed the signing of the three pacts aimed to set the foundation for broader relations between the two countries.

Chávez arrived in Hanoi for a two-day official visit at the invitation of the Vietnamese President. He is the first Venezuelan head of state to visit Vietnam since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1989.

The three pacts include a frame agreement on government-to-government cooperation and another on cultural cooperation signed between Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Le Van Bang and Venezuela's acting Foreign Minister Rafael Ramírez.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's Minister of Industry Hoang Trung Hai and Venezuelan Minister of Energy and Oil signed a deal on energy cooperation between the two governments. Vietnam abounds in oil and gas resources, especially in the Eastern Sea, but downstream activity is limited. In June an executive delegation of state-owned PetroVietnam travelled to Venezuela for an official visit.

President Triet said at the welcoming ceremony that Chávez's visit to Vietnam was a historic milestone in the bilateral relationship, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The two leaders told a press conference after the signings that both countries had good potentials to strengthen cooperation, in socio-economic areas as well as in science, technology, healthcare, industry, and energy.

Triet also told reporters Vietnam would seek to implement all deals signed between the two sides, and expected that the two countries would furthern expand ties in the future.

According to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in such areas as energy, mining and agriculture, as well as bolster trade.

The Venezuelan leader yesterday also had brief meetings with Party chief Nong Duc Manh and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. In the meeting with Manh, Chávez, extended an invitation to the leader of the Vietnam Communist Party to visit the South American country.

In the meeting with PM Dung, Chávez suggested establishing a joint committee to promote cooperation between the two countries.

On the occasion of Chávez's visit, the Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association was inaugurated in Hanoi yesterday".