Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (R) receives Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Hà Nội yesterday.— Photo VGP

HÀ NỘI — Trade is a top priority in the Việt Nam – Ukraine comprehensive partnership, stated Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc while receiving Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Hà Nội yesterday. 

At the meeting, he said the two sides need to incorporate co-operation for export growth into the agenda of their intergovernmental committee’s 14th session next October. 

The PM also stressed the importance of increasing ties in defence, culture, and science-technology, and holding more delegation exchanges. 

Việt Nam is willing to invest in Ukraine, he stated, adding that the two countries should review documents and mechanisms to facilitate bilateral co-operation. 

Phúc praised the two countries’ foreign ministries’ intention to continue collaboration at multilateral forums and thanked Ukraine for supporting Việt Nam’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2020-21. 

Ukraine’s stability and development are very important to Vietnamese expatriates living there, he added. 

For his part, Pavlo Klimkin said bilateral ties were thriving in various sectors, including people-to-people diplomacy. 

He proposed Việt Nam speed up the signing of several agreements to facilitate trade and economic ties, adding that Ukraine wanted to expand bilateral co-operation in technology transfer in mining, shipbuilding, and aviation. 

Ukraine welcomes Vietnamese investments in telecommunications, defence, education, and science-technology, he said. 

The diplomat also acknowledged the remarkable contribution of the Vietnamese community to Ukraine.

Also yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh had talks with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, during which they shared the desire to enhance political ties between Việt Nam and Ukraine. 

The two sides agreed to increase the exchange of visits and to work closely together at multilateral forums. 

Discussing measures to push economic, trade, education-training, labour, culture, sports and tourism ties, they noted with pleasure that two-way trade has grown, with a 12 per cent rise in 2016 to US$264.2 million and a 19.1 per cent increase year-on-year in the first seven months of 2017. 

Host and guest agreed to collaborate with the two countries’ agencies to hold the 14th meeting of the Việt Nam – Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Economic-Trade and Scientific-Technological Co-operation slated for this October in Kiev. 

Minh asked the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and related agencies to continue assisting Vietnamese nationals residing in the country. 

The two sides discussed simplifying immigration procedures for the two countries’ citizens. 

Concluding the talks, the two officials signed a consultation plan for 2018-19 between the two foreign ministries and witnessed the signing of a co-operation agreement between Vietnamese and Ukrainian justice ministries and a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine. — VNS