Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng (right) and Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh at the press conference right after holding official talks on Wednesday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng and Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh held talks in Hà Nội on Wednesday, during the latter's official visit to Việt Nam.

In a press conference held afterwards to present the outcomes of their talks, President Thưởng stated that bilateral ties have witnessed notable progress, particularly in the areas of politics, defence, security, and economy.

To further enhance the substantial and effective development of their ties, he stated that important measures have been agreed upon with President Khurelsukh of Mongolia.

"Both sides have agreed to work towards doubling the bilateral trade volume to US$200 million. We welcome the signing of an Agreement on Visa Exemption for the citizens of both countries, which will contribute to expanding trade cooperation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. We also agree to continue creating favourable conditions for, and protecting the legitimate rights of, each country's citizens to live, study, and work in each other's country, who will serve as bridges to bolster the friendly relations between Việt Nam and Mongolia," President Thưởng said.

He expressed the belief that with the political determination of the high-level leadership and the consensus of the people of both countries, based on the good traditional friendly relations, the partnership between Việt Nam and Mongolia will continue to be strengthened and developed, with the two aiming to establish a new framework for their relationship, for the benefit of the people of both countries, and contributing positively to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

President Thưởng expressed his gratitude for the invitation from President Khurelsukh to visit Mongolia, which he had gladly accepted.

Overview of the welcome ceremony for Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh at the Presidential Palace. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

​The Mongolian leader sincerely thanked President Thưởng and the people of Việt Nam for their warm and heartfelt welcome to the Mongolian delegation.

He highlighted that Việt Nam was the first Southeast Asian country with which Mongolia established diplomatic relations, dating back to 1954.

Recalling the friendly relations between the two countries, President Khurelsukh mentioned past campaigns and movements by the Mongolian Government and people protesting the war of aggression against Việt Nam, as well as fundraising campaigns to support the Vietnamese people's struggle for independence and freedom.

"I am honoured to visit Việt Nam, the country of the golden dragon, and the Thăng Long-Hà Nội capital with its rich thousand-year history, ahead of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries," he said.

"We have a long-standing history of relations, dating back at least 700 years. Overcoming all challenges, the relations between our two countries have continuously deepened. Today, inheriting and promoting the values of our friendly and brotherly cooperation, as well as the beautiful tradition between our two countries, is not only an honour but also a responsibility for us, to write new pages for the next 70 years of our bilateral relations."

President Khurelsukh expressed his belief that his State visit to Việt Nam would significantly contribute to providing crucial momentum, setting out the direction and measures to promote the traditional friendly relations between Việt Nam and Mongolia.

Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng (right) and Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh at the welcome ceremony on Wednesday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

During their meeting, President Thưởng and President Khurelsukh witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements between the ministries and departments of the two countries. These agreements covered a range of areas, including visa exemption for diplomatic, official, and ordinary passport holders; exchange of information and cooperation in border management and combating trans-national drug crimes between the Ministry of Public Security of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia; cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security of Việt Nam and the Office of the National Security Council of Mongolia in strategic research; and cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Việt Nam and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia on sustainable rice trade.

The same day, the Mongolian leader also paid a courtesy call to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng, where the two affirmed the need to bolster the relations between the two ruling parties, to further enhance the political pillar in bilateral cooperation. — VNS

Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng and Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh had talks on Wednesday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất