State President Lương Cường hosts Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – State President Lương Cường on Thursday received Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev, who is paying an official visit to Việt Nam from March 6–7.

During the reception, the host leader affirmed that the Party, State, and people of Việt Nam always remember the support and assistance from people of the Soviet Union, including Kyrgyzstan, for its struggle for national liberation, construction, and economic development.

He emphasised the significance of this visit, which opens up a new chapter in the relationship between Việt Nam and Kyrgyzstan, helping to realise the determination of the two countries’s leaders to further enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas.

PM Kasymaliev informed his host about the productive and substantive talks with PM Phạm Minh Chính, and noted that he is greatly impressed with the strong development that Việt Nam has achieved in recent years.

Kyrgyzstan always treasures the relationship with Việt Nam and highly values the Southeast Asian nation's role in the region and the world, he affirmed, expressing the wish to further promote the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

Given the outstanding achievements in political – diplomatic and economic – trade cooperation in the recent past, President Cường and PM Kasymaliev agreed to continue strengthening political trust while increasing delegation exchanges and high-level meetings across all channels, including the Parties, States, Governments, parliaments, ministries, sectors, localities, socio-political organisations, as well as peoples of the two countries.

The countries will create favourable conditions for their businesses to seek investment opportunities in each other's markets, and perfect legal frameworks to bolster bilateral relations in all fields.

Acknowledging the growth of bilateral trade in recent years, President Cuong noted that the trade remains modest compared to the total trade volume of each country, as well as their potential and strengths in this regard.

He emphasised that ministries, sectors, and relevant agencies of both countries need to enhance coordination to materialise the determination and agreements of Vietnamese and Kyrgyz leaders, thus fostering all-round cooperation, particularly in trade – investment, education – training, science – technology, transport, energy, mining, and cultural exchange.

Discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern, both sides agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The host affirmed that Việt Nam supports and is ready to act as a bridge for Kyrgyzstan to expand its relations with countries in Southeast Asia, along with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Regarding the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) issue, the State leader of Việt Nam emphasised the importance of maritime security and safety, calling on Kyrgyzstan to support ASEAN and Việt Nam's stance on this issue, with respect for international law, especially the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, the Kyrgyz PM conveyed greetings and the best wishes from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to President Cường. He also delivered President Japarov's letter inviting the Vietnamese leader to visit Kyrgyzstan.

President Cường thanked his Kyrgyz counterpart and tasked the two countries' foreign ministries to arrange the visit at a mutually convenient time.

He also thanked the PM and Government of Kyrgyzstan for their attention and support for the Vietnamese people in the country, asking Kyrgyzstan to continue assisting the community so that they can contribute to bilateral ties. VNS