Joint Statement on Vietnam-Myanmar Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong attends an official reception hosted by Myanmar President Htin Kyaw. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

During the visit, the two sides signed a Joint Statement on the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. VNA respectfully introduces the full text of the Joint Statement:

1. At the invitation of President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Htin Kyaw, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong paid a state visit to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar from August 24 to 26, 2017.

2. During the visit, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation were warmly welcomed by the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, demonstrating the friendship and close relationship between the two countries and the two peoples. During his visit to Myanmar, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held talks and attended a State Banquet hosted by the President.

The General Secretary also had a cordial meeting with Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counselor of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and met with Speaker of the National Assembly Mahn Win Khaing Thann, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces; met with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese business community in Myanmar.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaing. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

3. At the talks and meetings, the Leaders of the two sides agreed that the state visit to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is an important historical milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries, and the results of the visit will contribute significantly to raising the Vietnam-Myanmar relationship to a new height.

4. The leaders of the two countries expressed their satisfaction with the rapid development of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in recent years. The two sides affirmed to continue to further enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation through all channels of the Party, National Assembly, Government and people-to-people exchange.

5. Based on the increasingly good bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as new developments in the region and the world, the two Leaders agreed to establish a "Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership" between Vietnam and Myanmar.

The Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership will build on and enhance existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, implement signed agreements, and explore new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and universally recognized norms of international law, as well as respect for the rule of law, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of each Party.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives Chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party of Myanmar (USDP) Than Htay. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

6. This relationship will deepen the five pillars of cooperation between the two countries: i) Political relations; (ii) Defense and security cooperation; (iii) Economic cooperation; (iv) Cultural, social, people-to-people cooperation and other areas of mutual interest; (v) Regional and international cooperation. To implement the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership, the Leaders of the two countries agreed to assign the Foreign Ministries of the two countries to coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to propose feasible cooperation initiatives in the above pillars and conduct periodic reviews through bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

7. On the basis of the established Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership, the two sides agreed to promote political relations between the two countries through the exchange of visits and contacts at all levels, and agreed that the establishment of the Myanmar-Vietnam Friendship Association would contribute to promoting people-to-people exchanges, through coordination with the Vietnam-Myanmar Friendship Association, and promoting relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon, through bilateral cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.

8. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two governments; strive to improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to coordinate and promote existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Joint Trade Committee and the Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation.

The two sides reaffirmed the good implementation of the Agreements and Cooperation Agreements signed between the two Governments. To enhance the connectivity between the two economies, the two sides pledged to give priority to cooperation in transport infrastructure, tourism, and expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry, telecommunications and banking.

The two sides agreed to take measures to improve the investment environment to encourage businesses from both countries to invest in each other's markets. The two sides agreed to strengthen investment and trade promotion activities and trade facilitation, aiming to bring two-way trade turnover to 1 billion USD as soon as possible.

9. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that he will encourage Vietnamese enterprises to invest in potential fields in Myanmar such as energy, telecommunications, and infrastructure.

10. President Htin Kyaw acknowledged that Vietnam's investment projects in Myanmar have contributed to Myanmar's socio-economic development; reaffirmed that he would create favorable conditions and ensure the interests of Vietnamese enterprises in Myanmar.

11. The two sides welcomed the opening of a branch of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) in Yangon to promote trade and investment relations between the two countries. The Myanmar side noted the request to allow BIDV to transact directly with businesses and individual customers in Myanmar.

12. The two sides also agreed to further promote cooperation in the fields of information and communications technology (ICT) and telecommunications. Myanmar agreed to allow Mytel to cooperate in building and using fiber optic infrastructure and other infrastructure throughout Myanmar in accordance with current laws, regulations and license terms.

13. The two leaders shared views on regional peace and security issues of mutual concern and affirmed their commitment to strengthening security and defense cooperation between the two countries, through information sharing, experience sharing, promoting existing cooperation mechanisms and considering the establishment of a Defense Policy Dialogue mechanism and a Joint Working Group mechanism between the two Defense Ministries.

14. The two sides also acknowledged the effective implementation of the bilateral security dialogue mechanism between the two countries and agreed to further strengthen security cooperation, including coordinating the development and completion of the legal framework for cooperation activities in the fields of crime prevention, control and criminal justice between the two countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets with State Counsellor and Foreign Minister of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

15. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the good coordination and cooperation between the two countries at regional and international forums, such as ASEAN, the United Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong highly appreciated Myanmar's readiness to support Vietnam's candidacy for non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.

16. The two sides welcomed continued cooperation in the sustainable and effective management and use of Mekong River water resources, which is of multifaceted significance to the Mekong River basin countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, as well as to the process of connectivity, community building, stability maintenance and development of ASEAN.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong acknowledged Myanmar's active contributions as a dialogue partner of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to the protection and sustainable use of Mekong River water resources, and Myanmar acknowledged Vietnam's request to consider early joining the MRC.

17. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides reaffirmed their support for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) on the basis of the agreed COC framework.

18. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sincerely thanked President Htin Kyaw, the Government and people of Myanmar for the warm, enthusiastic and friendly reception given to the General Secretary and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong respectfully invited President Htin Kyaw to visit Vietnam again and invited State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time. The Myanmar leaders expressed their deep gratitude for the invitation./.

According to Vietnamplus