General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong holds talks with President of Belarus

At 2:00 p.m. on November 26 (Minsk time), at the Presidential Palace in the capital Minsk, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Belarus, held talks with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation at the talks

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his pleasure in revisiting the beautiful country of Belarus; sincerely thanked the President, the Government and the people of Belarus for their warm friendship and warm and respectful reception for the General Secretary and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation; affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship, as well as wishes to promote economic-trade relations and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to match the good political relations and potential of each side, for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated Belarus on its achievements in socio-economic development, maintaining political stability, and improving people's lives in recent times, and firmly believed that under the leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus will continue to gain even greater achievements in the cause of national construction and defense, for the prosperity and well-being of the Belarusian people.

In an atmosphere of friendship, sincerity and mutual trust, the leaders of the two countries informed each other about the situation in each country; agreed on major measures to comprehensively promote Vietnam-Belarus relations in the coming time; and discussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Alexander Lukashenko agreed that in the coming time, the two sides will continue to increase visits and contacts between the two countries' senior leaders; promote relations through all channels of the State, National Assembly, Government, political parties, social organizations and people-to-people exchanges, as well as increase exchange activities, cooperation and sharing of experiences in leadership and management of the country to increase mutual understanding and consolidate and enhance political trust between the two countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Alexander Lukashenko met with the press of the two countries after their talks.

As a member of the Customs Union, Belarus is committed to speeding up the conclusion of negotiations and early signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Union. At the same time, it will create favorable conditions for Vietnamese goods to be more present in the Belarusian market, especially agricultural and aquatic products, wooden furniture, textiles, coffee, etc., to overcome Vietnam's trade deficit with Belarus.

The leaders of the two countries emphasized the importance of cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment; believing that this will be the main pillar in the bilateral relationship when Vietnam signs the Free Trade Agreement with the Customs Union.

The two sides agreed to create conditions for businesses of the two countries to actively promote and seek cooperation opportunities in which each side has strengths and the other side has needs, including in the fields of information and telecommunications.

Belarus welcomes and pledges to facilitate the investment project of Viettel Military Telecommunications Group in Belarus.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Alexander Lukashenko highly appreciated the effectiveness of defense cooperation between the two countries in recent times; the Belarusian side pledged to continue providing preferential training slots for Vietnamese soldiers, expanding and deepening training programs in which Belarus has strengths and Vietnam has needs.

The leaders of the two countries agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of education, training, culture, sports and tourism, combating terrorism and transnational crimes; jointly make efforts to effectively implement the Intergovernmental Agreement and signed agreements in these fields; support and facilitate students studying at training institutions of the two countries. At the same time, continue to expand cooperation in the field of labor and vocational training, encourage the development of cooperation and exchange between localities of the two countries in a practical and effective manner for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

At the meeting, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his gratitude to the Belarusian authorities for their continued support and facilitation of the Vietnamese community to reside and do business stably, long-term and legally in Belarus. At the same time, he asked the Belarusian side to continue to assist and create more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community, encouraging Vietnamese people to invest in the Belarusian economy to build a strong community and integrate more deeply into the local society, contributing to promoting the Belarusian economy and strengthening the friendship between the two peoples.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation laid flowers at the Victory Monument in Minsk.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Alexander Lukashenko highly appreciated the close cooperation and coordination between the two countries within the framework of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, international forums and organizations.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen close coordination and effectively share information related to regional and international issues through existing cooperation mechanisms, through bilateral contact and exchange channels and at multilateral international forums.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his gratitude to Belarus for supporting Vietnam in the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 term and suggested that the two countries continue the good tradition of supporting each other at international forums and organizations.

Regarding the situation in the East Sea, the two leaders expressed concern over recent complicated developments; hoped that relevant parties would resolve disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and soon develop a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), in order to ensure peace, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sincerely thanked President Alexander Lukashenko, the Government and people of Belarus for the warm, sincere and thoughtful welcome given to the General Secretary and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. He respectfully invited and conveyed President Truong Tan Sang's invitation to President Alexander Lukashenko to visit Vietnam again at an appropriate time. President Alexander Lukashenko sincerely thanked him and happily accepted the invitation.

At the end of the talks, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Alexander Lukashenko met with the press of the two countries, announcing the good results of the talks and the prospects of the Vietnam - Belarus relationship in the coming time.

Also on the afternoon of November 26, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation laid flowers at the Victory Monument in Minsk.

According to VOV