Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (L) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (Source: VNA)

Mr. Aliyev made the statement at a meeting in Baku on Thursday with Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh before the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit which opens on Friday. Ms. Thinh affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to expanding the traditional friendship and all-around cooperation with Azerbaijan. She suggested that the two countries should optimize the Intergovernmental Committee for economic-trade and science-technology cooperation and bolster partnership between their localities, particularly in oil and gas, education-training and tourism.

The two leaders reached consensus on the need to uphold the rule of law in international relations. President Aliyev expressed his support for Vietnam and ASEAN addressing East Sea disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with respect for countries’ sovereignty.