(VOVworld) –Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko’s visit to Vietnam December 8-9 is an important event for Vietnam-Belarus relations in various sectors.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, and Belarusian President Lukashenko  in Minsk in 2014 (photo: Tri Dung/VNA)

Vietnam and Belarus established diplomatic relations in 1992. Belarus opened its Embassy in Vietnam in 1998 and Vietnam’s Embassy opened in Belarus in 2003.

Fine political relations

With friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation since the days of the Soviet Union, Vietnam and Belarus have continuously promoted their relationship. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, visited Belarus in 2014, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Belarus in 2013.

Belarus’s President visited Vietnam in 1997 and 2008. An official visit of the Chairman of the House of Representatives to Vietnam occurred in 2010. The two countries have signed framework agreements on cooperation in economics, trade, diplomacy, education, aviation, agriculture, banking, and between localities.

Belarus considers Vietnam a reliable partner in the international arena. Both countries have worked closely in international forums including the UN.

Economic and trade relations

Two-way trade revenue reached 107 million USD in 2014. From January to August, 2015, bilateral trade revenue totaled 95.8 million USD. Vietnam’s exports to Belarus include aquatic products, wooden products, textiles, footwear, rice, rubber, peanuts, cashews, tea, canned fruits and vegetables, pharmaceuticals, and computers, while it imports fertilizer, machinery, automobile spare parts, tractors, and chemicals from Belarus.

Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement on December 15, 2014. They signed the agreement in May, 2015.

Cooperation in education and training has been productive. Belarus has helped Vietnam train experts and 70 Vietnamese students are now studying in Belarus.

The two countries have cooperated on several scientific and technological projects. The Vietnam-Belarus Cooperative Committee on Science and Technology has conducted 8 sessions.

Vietnam and Belarus have begun to cooperate on labor exports. Vietnamese companies contracted with Belarusian construction companies to supply workers for the construction of an entertainment and sports center in Minsk.

Cooperation prospect