(VOVworld) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahmyan on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Community FTA in Kazakhstan on Friday.

He called for the establishment of an inter-governmental committee on economic-trade and science-technology cooperation. The prime ministers agreed on ways to boost economic and trade cooperation, fine tune each country’s legal framework for increased bilateral cooperation, and establish appropriate mechanisms for trade promotion and information sharing. Regarding the East Sea, the prime ministers stressed the importance of the maintenance of peace, stability, navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom in the region. They showed their support for the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.

The same day, Prime Minister Dung received Viktor Khristenko, President of the Standing Committee of the Eurasian Economic Community. He said that the Vietnam­-Eurasian Economic Community FTA is a new-generation trade agreement and a breakthrough in promoting economic and trade ties between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Community. Khristenko said that the Community’s signing of an FTA with Vietnam, the first foreign partner outside the community, demonstrated Vietnam’s development potential and global status. He hoped that Vietnam would serve as a bridge between the community and ASEAN.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also met with Russia’s Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev. He asked Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Community to quickly ratify the FTA. The Russian Prime Minister said he believed that the agreement would not only expand bilateral cooperation and two-way trade but also promote investment projects in each other’s territory, deepening Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

At a meeting with Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayev, the two leaders expressed delight at the development of bilateral ties in recent years. The Kazakh president said he supported the peaceful settlement and the maintenance of peace, stability, navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea.