Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam (L) and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev have agreed to adopt a joint statement on the upgrade of the two countries' relations to a strategic partnership following their talks in Baku on May 7 during the Vietnamese leader's state visit to Azerbaijan.
The two leaders said the upgrade will strengthen and reinforce existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and pave the way for the creation of new frameworks to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Within this Strategic Partnership framework, Vietnam and Azerbaijan will further deepen cooperation in all areas to ensure practical benefits for both peoples and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and the world.
According to the joint statement released after their talks, both sides will promote high-level visits, enhance exchanges and contact across all channels, and explore establishing new cooperation mechanisms between ministries, sectors, and localities.
They will strengthen exchanges between their Ministries of Foreign Affairs on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern, including regular political consultations.
Both sides expressed a desire to enhance relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, and promote inter-parliamentary cooperation to enhance the role of the legislative bodies in implementing the contents of the Strategic Partnership.
They vowed to ramp up practical and comprehensive economic cooperation, effectively implement signed agreements, and enhance the efficiency of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. This serves as a key platform to identify priorities and facilitate long-term cooperation in trade, investment, and technology.
They will work out measures to explore opportunities and create breakthroughs in trade and investment cooperation to reach a bilateral trade volume commensurate with the Strategic Partnership.
Vietnam and Azerbaijan also agreed to study solutions to support businesses in effectively utilising available cooperation frameworks and mechanisms to foster bilateral investment and trade.
The two sides consented to rev up strong cooperation in energy, explore potential and directions for cooperation in clean and renewable energy. They will enhance information exchange and cooperation in oil and gas exploration, oil services, and human resource training in the oil and gas sector.
Both countries will open up markets for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to help boost bilateral trade; strengthen agricultural cooperation, support research, and apply high technology in agriculture; and explore joint programs and projects on climate change, environmental protection, and green growth.
They agreed to share experience in developing rail, road, air, and maritime transport; and to increase cooperation in using the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to enhance connectivity.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Azerbaijan expressed readiness to promote bilateral defence and security cooperation through delegation exchanges, information sharing, as well as expanding cooperation in defence and security industries, technology transfer, training, and education.
Law enforcement agencies of the two countries will enhance information and experience sharing, and coordination in combating terrorism and other crimes, including transnational organised crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and other security threats of mutual concern.
Vietnam and Azerbaijan are willing to effectively implement educational cooperation, consider offering scholarships to each other's students based on needs and fields of study, and promote continuous, comprehensive cooperation. They will build exchange mechanisms for experts, lecturers, and students, expanding beyond academic exchanges to include the training of high-level professionals.
Both countries agreed to promote cultural, historical exchange, and media programs; organise Cultural Days in each other's territories; exchange cultural and artistic delegations; and promote tourism potential and strengths.
Both sides expressed willingness to expand and deepen cooperation and closely coordinate positions and support each other at regional and international organisations, especially the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and other multilateral frameworks.
The two sides will leverage each other's advantages and positions to expand cooperation between Azerbaijan and ASEAN as well as with ASEAN member states. They will enhance consultations and coordination of positions on regional and international issues, and jointly address security challenges including pandemics, climate change, terrorism, transnational crime, cybercrime, food security, energy, and water resources, along with other issues of mutual concern./.