Vietnamese Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh meets Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

BAKU — Azerbaijan considers Việt Nam an important partner in Southeast Asia and hopes to strengthen multifaceted relations, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
He was speaking at a meeting on Thursday with Vietnamese Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh in Baku before the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit opens on Friday.
During the talks, the Vietnamese official said Việt Nam attaches importance to developing and expanding the traditional friendship and all-around cooperation with Azerbaijan.
She suggested the two countries increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, optimise the Việt Nam-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Committee for economic-trade and science-technology cooperation and bolster partnership between their localities, particularly in the fields of oil and gas, education-training and tourism.
Discussing international and regional issues, Vice President Thịnh and President Aliyev reached consensus on the need to uphold the rule of law in international relations.
Regarding the recent complicated developments on the East Sea, the Azerbaijani President expressed support of the stance of Việt Nam and ASEAN on addressing disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); respecting countries’ sovereignty, thus contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
In this spirit, the two sides agreed to enhance coordination at international forums and organisations, especially the UN and the NAM.
They shared the view on the need to improve the role and effectiveness of the NAM in preserving peace and stability in the world.
The same day, Vice President Thịnh chaired a meeting with Azerbaijani friends to mark the 60th anniversary of President Hồ Chí Minh’s visit to Azerbaijan. — VNS