President Truong Tan Sang’s first State visit to Kazakhstan over past 3 days helped deepen Vietnam’s relations with traditional friends.

The statement was made by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in a press interview yesterday on the results of the President’s visit. Mr. Minh said President Sang’s visit gave a new momentum to bilateral ties and represented both sides’ determination to consolidate and strengthen bilateral cooperation. Vietnam and Kazakhstan leaders vowed to begin negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Kazakhstan-Russia-Belarus Customs Alliance. During the visit, the two sides signed a number of important cooperation documents in plant quarantines, banking, aviation, and locality linking, helping to complete a legal framework for bilateral cooperation. Vietnam welcomed Kazakhstan’s plan to open an embassy in Hanoi and organize “Kazakh Cultural Days” in Vietnam next year.