Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran and Vietnam are determined to increase their trade turnover value to $2 billion in five years, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang, who is visiting Tehran on March 14, the Iranian state-run IRINN TV reported.
Due to economic sanctions, capacities of the two countries have not been taken advantage of, Rouhani said, underlining that the trade turnover, which currently stands at $350 million, will be elevated to $2 billion.
"We have had detailed talks regarding the cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture and tourism sectors," Rouhani said, adding the two parties also talked the possibility of making investment in ICT sector.
"Cooperation documents and agreements will be signed tomorrow during the economic forum, which will be attended by businessmen of the two countries," added the Iranian president.
He also said that Tehran and Hanoi agreed to normalize all the baking relations in order to develop economic relations. Rouhani added that Iran's Central Bank will sign a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam's state bank in this regard.
Iranian president also said that cultural and academic cooperation also was on the agenda of talks between the two sides.
He also said the two countries have very similar positions and views on regional and international matters and they have had close cooperation with each other in international organizations and forums, including the UN.
Rouhani noted that during the meeting, the parties also decided to help each other out and continue their support for each other when it comes to their candidacies in international organizations or whenever one side needs the other side's vote.
He added that Iran and Vietnam also emphasized the need to cooperate in the fight against terrorism on international stage.
"We also talked about issues related to the countries suffering from terrorism, including Yemen and Syria, and the need for more consultations and more engagement on how we can fight terrorist groups in the region."
Rouhani also said that during a one-on-one meeting with the Vietnamese president, they talked about the situation in the East Asia and Pacific, and about dangerous developments or rivalries in that part of the world
"We believe such issues need be resolved through political talks, peacefully, within the framework of international rules," noted Rouhani.
The Vietnamese president arrived in Tehran on March 13 for an official three-day visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.
Heading a politico-economic delegation, Tan Sang is scheduled to discuss ways with Iranian officials to expand bilateral ties between Tehran and Hanoi, particularly in the fields of economy, banking and energy.