VN, NZ pledge to raise two-trade value to US$1.7 billion

PM Nguyen Tan Dung (L) and New Zealand PM John Key at the Government Headquarters, Ha Noi, November 15, 2015. Photo: VGP

Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchange of delegations at all levels, promote the existing cooperation mechanisms, and effectively deploy the Action plan for the period 2013-2016.

PM John Key pledged to continue development aid, especially in such fields like agriculture, knowledge and skills, and disaster risk management as well as technical assistance for market development and brand building for Vietnamese agricultural products, including dragon fruit.

Regarding security and defense cooperation, the two sides spoke highly of the new developments in this area. New Zealand committed to continuing its support for Viet Nam in English training for peacekeeping operations and strengthening cooperation and experience sharing in maritime law enforcement.

New Zealand also promised to assist Viet Nam in developing high quality human resources through scholarship programs and in training law experts, especially in investment and maritime areas.

Both sides agreed to open direct air route next year to further exploit their tourism potential.

For regional and international cooperation, the two PMs agreed to foster coordination within East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, APEC, ASEM, ADMM +, and extend mutual support at the United Nations.

The two PMs took the occasion to strongly condemn a series of inhuman terrorist attacks which took place in France on November 13.

Discussing on the East Sea issue, the two PMs shared their concern over the recent happenings in the East Sea, reaffirming the position of settling disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law.

They particularly highlighted that the massive land reclamation activities in the East Sea have eroded trust, sparked deep concerns among the international community, and adversely affected peace, security and stability in the region.

The two sides welcome efforts of all countries to contribute to ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea.

PM John Key called on relevant parties to exercise self-restraint and comply with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea while seeking for peaceful measures to address disputes.

After the talks, PM Dung and his New Zealander counterpart witnessed the signing ceremony of a number of documents on civil aviation, education and healthcare cooperation.