Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Lương Quốc Huy presented his credentials to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. — Photo courtesy of the embassy

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Lương Quốc Huy has highlighted great potential for the two countries to boost their cooperation, especially in economy and trade, during a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties (August 4).

According to the diplomat, the Việt Nam-Iran relationship has seen marked developments, with the opening of the Iranian Embassy in Hà Nội in 1991, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Tehran in 1997 as milestones.

Over the past years, the traditional political and diplomatic ties had been growing fruitfully, as reflected through high-level visits by leaders of the two countries, he continued, adding that the two sides reached various cooperation agreements in such areas as economy, trade, culture, science-technology, agriculture and customs, and established important cooperation mechanisms.

Their two-way trade exceeded US$500 million before the COVID-19 outbreak, and stood at over $100 million last year, excluding trade revenue through third countries.

The two economies are complementary as Iran has strengths in natural resources, science, technology, and oil and gas, while Việt Nam has advantages in agriculture, handicrafts, fisheries, and human resources, according to the ambassador.

As members of many international organisations, the two countries had provided mutual support at multilateral forums, he added.

Regarding the upcoming visit to Iran by National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ, the ambassador said the two sides expected to sign many cooperation agreements in trade, agriculture, justice and sports, as well as exchanges between localities on this occasion.

There would be a range of activities, including a law and policy forum aiming to enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, a Vietnamese culture week, and exhibitions within the framework of the visit.

Such activities would mark the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties, strengthen cooperation across spheres, and advance the Việt Nam-Iran relationship, Huy said.

To foster the cooperation, the ambassador suggested the two countries further implement the cooperation documents and mechanisms they signed and established over the past years.

They should create conditions for their goods to enter respective markets, jointly organise trade promotion activities, hasten negotiations for and signing of a preferential trade arrangement, and seek suitable payment methods, he said.

The diplomat also suggested the two countries enhance the exchange of delegations, especially at high level, promote people-to-people diplomacy and intensify cooperation between localities, while strengthening collaboration in science-technology, education-training, culture and tourism.

According to the ambassador, the 10th meeting of the Việt Nam-Iran Inter-governmental Committee, scheduled for later this year, will be a highlight of cooperation activities in 2023.

The mechanism would set forth plans and measures for cooperation in economy, trade, banking, investment, science-technology, and culture, among other fields, he explained. — VNS