Vietnam, Myanmar establish comprehensive partnership

An official welcome ceremony hosted by President Htin Kyaw for Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong took place on August 24 at the Presidential Palace in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

After the welcome ceremony, the two leaders held talks on

issues of ASEAN and agreed to work closely with other ASEAN countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and promote ASEAN’s central role in the region and the world.

President Htin Kyaw said Mr Trong’s visit opened a new page in bilateral cooperation and cited that Myanmar always respects cooperation with ASEAN countries including Vietnam.

Speaking at a press conference after the talks, the two leaders said the two sides agreed to establish a comprehensive partnership and reached a consensus on ways to boost bilateral ties and expand cooperation.

They informed the media on the outcomes of their talks, expressing their delight to see the rapid and positive development of the traditional friendship and all-around cooperation over the past years.

They noted huge potential for bilateral cooperation that should be tapped and informed that they agreed to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries and reached a consensus on orientations and measures to steer the implementation of the partnership with a view to asserting “a new milestone, a new height, and a new impetus” to push for the expansion of cooperation.

They said they shared viewpoints on the issues pertaining to ASEAN, the region and the world, agreeing to work closely with other ASEAN member countries to maintain the bloc’s unity, reinforce its inner cooperation, and promote its central and guiding role in the regional and international architectures.

The Party leader expressed his belief that the establishment of a comprehensive partnership and realization of signed agreements will heighten bilateral ties for the benefits of the two countries and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

On the occasion, both leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the two countries.

The documents include a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in trade between the two Ministries of Industry and Trade; a cultural cooperation programme in 2017-2020 between Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture; an agreement on cooperation and mutual support in customs between Vietnam’s Finance Ministry and Myanmar’s Ministry of Planning and Finance; and an agreement on education cooperation and diploma recognition between the two countries.