President bids farewell to Belarusian ambassador

 President Trần Đại Quang (R) receives out-going Belarusian Ambassador Valery Sadokho in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will continue to attach importance to developing friendship and cooperation with its traditional friends, including Belarus, President Trần Đại Quang told out-going Belarusian Ambassador Valery Sadokho yesterday.

During their meeting in Hà Nội, the President called on the two countries to effectively actualise the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to which Belarus is a member, together with Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The move aimed to increase trade, expand investment cooperation and create more economic cooperation projects between the two countries, he said. Echoing his host’s views, Valery Sadokho said the trade agreement opened up new opportunities for the two sides to step up their economic, trade and investment ties. He added that simplification of visa procedures for the two countries’ citizens helped raise the number of Belarusian tourists to the Southeast Asian nation by  一. 五 times.

Belarus would set up two businesses assembling automobiles and specialised vehicles in Việt Nam in order to meet the demands of the Vietnamese market and regional countries, the ambassador noted. Acknowledging contributions made by the Belarusian Embassy in Việt Nam and Valery Sadokho himself to the time-honoured friendship between the two countries, President Quang noted his hope that the ambassador would contribute more to the relationship. — VNS