Joint press release on the results of the visit to Vietnam of the President of Kazakhstan

At the invitation of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vo Van Thuong, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, paid an official visit to Vietnam from August 20-22, 2023.

President Vo Van Thuong and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the welcoming ceremony.

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) respectfully presents the full text of the Joint Press Release on the results of the official visit to Vietnam by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev:

During the visit, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, held talks with President Vo Van Thuong, met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue; and visited several economic and cultural facilities in Bac Ninh and Hai Duong provinces.

During the visit, the two sides had extensive discussions on measures to promote cooperation in politics , economy and trade, investment, transportation and logistics, culture and tourism, as well as a number of issues on the international and regional agenda of mutual interest.

During the talks, President Vo Van Thuong and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev affirmed that Vietnam and Kazakhstan have a good traditional friendship. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in bilateral relations in recent times, particularly noting the high level of trust in their political relationship. They emphasized that cooperation between Vietnam and Kazakhstan is expanding into all areas of mutual interest, including new areas with significant potential for mutually beneficial cooperation. The leaders of the two countries agreed to strengthen exchanges of delegations at all levels through party, state, government, and parliamentary channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges; and to effectively utilize existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Committee, political consultations, and other mechanisms to consolidate mutual understanding and trust, and expand bilateral cooperation in many fields.

Senior leaders from both countries emphasized the importance of promoting economic and trade cooperation; agreed to facilitate access to each other's markets for businesses from both countries and to consider the possibility of applying effective mechanisms to ensure mutually beneficial trade, including measures to enhance the capacity of containerized cargo transport from Kazakhstan to Vietnam and vice versa. The two sides also discussed potential areas of cooperation such as tourism, information technology, agriculture, transport, and logistics.

Senior leaders of both countries highly appreciated the positive results in the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union, contributing to promoting trade exchanges between Vietnam and Kazakhstan. Both sides expressed their readiness to exploit the advantages of this Agreement to promote bilateral trade in the future.

The leaders of the two countries welcomed the opening of direct flights between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Kazakhstan in October 2022, which facilitated the promotion and development of economic, trade, investment, tourism, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Senior leaders of both countries expressed interest in promoting cooperation in the field of education on the basis of the Protocol signed on January 3, 2017, supplementing certain articles of the Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on cooperation in the field of education dated September 15, 2009.

Senior leaders of both countries affirmed the importance of strengthening cultural and humanitarian exchanges, including expanding cooperation and exchanges in the fields of science, sports, and health, in order to connect the people of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding, enrich their cultures, and develop bilateral relations in general.

President Vo Van Thuong and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highly appreciated the close coordination and mutual support within the framework of international organizations and forums. Both sides emphasized their desire to further develop cooperation in multilateral forums, especially at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in order to strengthen cooperation among participating countries for peace, development, and prosperity in the region. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge and support Kazakhstan in strengthening cooperative relations with ASEAN and other Southeast Asian countries.

The two sides exchanged views on the international and regional situation. The Vietnamese side provided information on recent developments in the East Sea. Both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security, and stability, as well as resolving disputes through peaceful means based on international law and the United Nations Charter.

During the visit, the two countries signed the following documents:

(1) Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the transfer of convicted prisoners;

(2) Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports;

(3) Joint action plan to promote economic and trade cooperation between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period 2023-2025;

(4) Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan on cooperation in the field of tourism;

(5) Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Foreign Investment Department, Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam and the Investment Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

(6) Memorandum of Cooperation between the Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Trade Policy Center "QazTrade";

(7) Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam Television (VTV) and "Khabar Agency" Joint Stock Company.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan sincerely thanked President Vo Van Thuong of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people for their warm and cordial welcome. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev respectfully invited President Vo Van Thuong to visit Kazakhstan at a suitable time. President Vo Van Thuong thanked him and accepted the invitation. The timing of the visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.

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