Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ holds talks with the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin on Friday as part of his official visit to Bangladesh. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Bangladesh agreed on the need for a breakthrough in economic cooperation in the near future to further promote the friendly and comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

As part of his official visit to Bangladesh, Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ held talks with the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin on Friday.

The Bangladeshi President warmly welcomed NA Chairman Huệ on his first official visit to Bangladesh, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1973-2023).

He expressed admiration for Việt Nam's socio-economic development achievements in recent years and affirmed that Bangladesh considered Việt Nam as a development model.

Both sides praised the achievements in the bilateral relationship over the past five decades of its formation and development. Notably, mutual understanding and trust were strengthened through the maintenance of high-level exchanges and contacts, as well as mutual support in multilateral forums. Bilateral trade has increased fourfold in the last decade, from approximately US$350 million in 2012 to about $1.5 billion in 2022. Cooperation in the fields of security-defence, agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry has achieved significant milestones.

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin welcomed and congratulated the success of the talks between NA Chairman Huệ and Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. He emphasised the significance of signing cooperation agreements between the two parliaments and parliamentary offices during this visit, laying the foundation for strengthening cooperation between the legislative bodies of both nations.

For his turn, NA Chairman Huệ congratulated Bangladesh on its recent significant achievements and expressed confidence that, under the leadership of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, the people of Bangladesh would successfully build a modern and knowledge-based Bangladesh by 2041, marking the 70th anniversary of the country's establishment and the upcoming successful general elections.

He affirmed Việt Nam's readiness to support Bangladesh in ensuring food security, as evidenced by the recent extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on rice trade for the 2022-2027 period. He also stated that, in addition to rice, Việt Nam could export items of interest to Bangladesh, such as agricultural machinery, raw materials, household goods, electronics, agro-fishery products, and explore new areas of cooperation such as agriculture, aquaculture, green textiles, education, training, science, technology, and particularly climate change adaptation.

Recognising Bangladesh as a country with 170 million people and a potential market for Vietnamese businesses, the NA Chairman announced that a business forum would be organised during this visit with the participation of hundreds of businesses from both sides.

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin highly appreciated this opportunity as a precious chance to break new ground in economic cooperation between the two nations. He suggested deeper economic collaboration, encouraging Vietnamese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh's economic zones and supporting Việt Nam's proposal to establish direct flights to promote cultural exchange, tourism, and people-to-people ties.

He also agreed with NA Chairman Huệ’s proposal to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to study, work, and do business and invest in Bangladesh.

In discussions on international and regional issues, both leaders agreed with supporting each other in multilateral forums such as the United Nations (UN) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Na Chairman Huệ stated that, based on the traditional friendship between the two countries and Vietnam's recognition of Bangladesh's significance, Việt Nam consistently supported Bangladesh in enhancing its relationship with ASEAN.

On this occasion, NA Chairman Huệ extended an invitation to visit Việt Nam from President Võ Văn Thưởng, which Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin accepted with pleasure. — VNS