Expressing his affection for Hanoi, Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov recalled that the capital cities of Hanoi and Astana of Kazakhstan, now renamed Nursultan, signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2012.
Citing that the two cities have very fast growth rates in many areas, the Ambassador said this is one of the favourable conditions for the two sides to further strengthen their cooperation on the basis of the signed agreement.
Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov also expressed his hope that Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and the delegation of Hanoi would visit Nursultan soon to witness the changes of this city first-hand.
For his part, Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung agreed that the two capital cities are big centres for politics, culture, education and transport. The practical and effective development of the relationship between Hanoi and Nursultan will contribute to consolidating the time-honoured relationship between Vietnam and Kazakhstan, he added.
The Hanoi leader also proposed some contents to concretise the bilateral cooperation, including periodic high-level delegation exchange; strengthening people-to-people exchange, especially exchanges between socio-political organisations, scientists and young people; exchanging and learning experiences in education, culture, management and urban planning, especially in building smart cities; supporting and creating conditions for Vietnamese students to study in in Kazakhstan and vice versa.
The two sides also have potential in tourism, trade, and agricultural product trade, Chairman Chung said, adding that Hanoi will propose and discuss with the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and related agencies of Kazakhstan about the possibility of opening a direct flight between the two countries.
On this occasion, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung wished Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov a successful term in the country and hoped that he will act as a bridge to bring the relations between Vietnam and Kazakhstan in general and between the two capital cities in particular to new heights.
