President To Lam receives ambassadors of Turkic countries

President To Lam received the ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye, which are members of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), in Hanoi on July 16.

Highlighting the importance role of the OTS, which is located between and connects Asia and Europe, President Lam affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and wishes to further enhance cooperation with the organisation as well as each of its member states.

He noted that Vietnam’s traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye have continued to be reinforced via frequent meetings at all levels.

He asked the ambassador to keep close coordination with Vietnamese agencies to promote delegation exchanges, especially at high levels.

Vietnam and the Turkic countries should also maintain close and effective coordination along with mutual support at international and regional forums, including the United Nations, the leader went on.

President Lam said Vietnam’s economic - trade partnerships with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye have been growing, with bilateral trade on the rise year over year. However, Vietnam’s bilateral relations with the three countries have yet to match the huge cooperation potential, especially in such fields as transport, agriculture, education - training, culture, sports, tourism, locality-to-locality ties, and people-to-people diplomacy.

Vietnam will create the best possible conditions for enterprises from the OTS countries to do business and make investment, he remarked.

He voiced his belief that with their experience and enthusiasm, the ambassadors will practically contribute to the enhancement of Vietnam’s cooperation with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye, thereby developing bilateral relations more strongly and comprehensively.

The Party, State, ministries, and sectors of Vietnam will also provide favourable conditions for the diplomats to have a successful term in the country, the President added.

For their part, the ambassadors said their countries attach special importance to Vietnam’s role and hope to further expand bilateral cooperation, boost coordination at multilateral forums, and strengthen the Turkic countries’ ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the sake of each nation, as well as for peace, cooperation, and development in the two regions and the world.

Azerbaijani Ambassador Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade said that in 2024, the two countries will mark 65 years since President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to Azerbaijan in July 1959, which laid a solid foundation for their traditional friendship and cooperation, particularly in oil and gas with generations of Vietnamese students receiving training in Azerbaijan and later becoming leading experts in this area.

The Embassy of Azerbaijan will organise many activities to introduce the two countries’ histories, traditions, and cooperation potential on this occasion, he noted.

Kazakh Ambassador Kanat Tumysh held that his country’s economic and trade links with Vietnam have been growing dynamically, with bilateral trade increasing fast in recent years.

The two sides boast many advantages for developing partnerships in transport, aviation, education - training, tourism, and locality-to-locality connections, he said, affirming Kazakhstan’s readiness to create conditions for Vietnamese businesses to make investment.

Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador Korhan Kemik said he will exert efforts to promote the elevation of the two countries’ relations, along with the negotiation and signing of documents to perfect the legal framework for bilateral collaboration.

He hoped that concrete measures will be taken to raise bilateral trade from 2.2 billion USD to 4 billion USD as targeted by the countries’ leaders.

The diplomat also appreciated Vietnamese agencies, ministries, sectors’ support for the early opening of the Consulate General of Türkiye in Ho Chi Minh City, providing a cornerstone for stepping up cooperation activities in the time ahead.

The three ambassadors pledged efforts to contribute to the common goals and further intensify their countries’ relations with Vietnam.