(VOVWORLD) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is on an official visit to Myanmar at the invitation of Myanmar President U Uyn Min. The visit reflects Vietnam’s respect for its Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership with Myanmar and its wish to further bilateral ties.
Vietnam and Myanmar signed a Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in 2017. During Prime Minister Phuc’s visit, the two sides will sign an Action Program to strengthen the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in the 2019-2024 period.
Comprehensive cooperation
Vietnam and Myanmar have over the past two years boosted cooperation in all fields with political ties expanded at all levels and enhanced political trust between the two ruling Parties and governments. The Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership is strengthened on the basis of current bilateral cooperative mechanisms, the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and international law as well as mutual respect for the laws, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of each country.
In addition to current cooperation mechanisms like the Joint Cooperation Committee and the Sub-Committee for Trade Cooperation, Political Consultation, and Security Consultation, many new cooperation mechanisms have been launched over the past two years. The establishment of the Myanmar-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Association in Myanmar have consolidated bilateral ties, so have the two armies’ participation in the Mytel Telecommunication Joint Venture, so have trade fairs and exhibitions.
Good partners
Two-way trade totaled 790 million USD by October this year, 9.3% more than last year. Vietnam now has 25 projects in Myanmar with a total capital of 2.1 billion USD, ranking 7th among 50 countries and territories invested in Myanmar. Over the past three years, the number of Vietnamese enterprises in Myanmar has doubled to 200.
The two countries have bolstered cooperation in security and defense, young officer training, language teaching, defense manufacturing, border management, illegal migration and trafficking enforcement.
Bilateral cooperation in agriculture, light industry, health care, education, science, technology, justice, law building, information, communication and sports has also been expanded.
Sustainable future
Vietnam and Myanmar are traditional friends and reliable partners within ASEAN and other regional and global forums. Myanmar has often expressed its wish to learn from Vietnam experience in economic development, renewal and integration. The signing of an Action Program to realize the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership will reinforce cooperation between the two countries and help Vietnam better fulfill its roles as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.
Prime Minister Phuc’s visit shows that Vietnam continues to be a reliable partner of Myanmar and wants to share with Myanmar its experience in managing a market economy and learn from Myanmar’s experience in boosting the private sector, managing foreign investment, tax management, education development and culture preservation.