BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

04/04/2008

President goes on TV in Belarus

HA NOI - President Nguyen Minh Triet gave an interview for Belarus television yesterday.

Mentioning the relations between Viet Nam and Belarus, Triet said that after the countries belonging to the former Soviet Union declared their independence, Viet Nam quickly recognised and established diplomatic relations with them, of which Belarus was one of the first with which Viet Nam set up relations.

Triet said the bond between Viet Nam and Belarus had inherited the good traditions of the relationship between Viet Nam and the Soviet Union, and that it continued to be based upon the principles of equality and mutual benefit.

The Vietnamese people who have lived, worked, and studied in Belarus have always experienced the Belarusian people's hospitality and enthusiasm, he added.

Triet said he believed that the ongoing official visit to Viet Nam by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko would open a new stage of development in the friendly relations and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries, especially in economy and trade. Economic and trade relations between the two nations saw strong development in recent years, with 2007 bilateral turnover increasing 1.5 times over that of 2006.

Belarusian enterprises now have a number of projects in Viet Nam, including the construction of an automobile manufacturing and maintenance plant and a microchip design centre in Ha Noi.

The two countries also enjoy co-operation in oil and gas exploration and extraction.

The President said the two governments should create more favourable conditions for the enterprises of the two sides to directly co-operate with each other, as well as encourage investment between the two nations.

He said the two governments should offer each other increased quotas for commodities in which they hold respective advantages, such as Belarus' heavy-duty trucks, mining equipment and fertiliser, and Viet Nam's seafood, timber, processed vegetables and fruits, pepper and cashews.

The two countries also needed to sort out difficulties in transport and payment, he added. - VNS

Source:

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=04POL040408

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