Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and a delegation of Vietnam have concluded their trip to Kazakhstan, where they attended the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA6) and engaged in bilateral activities. This is according to a report by Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
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| Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov. Photo: VNA |
During the trip, Vice President Xuan met with Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, who expressed Kazakhstan’s desire to enhance cooperation with Vietnam in all areas. They also discussed the success of CICA6, for which Vietnam was thanked for its participation and contributions.
Vice President Xuan emphasized Vietnam’s commitment to the traditional friendship with Kazakhstan and proposed increased delegation exchanges and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organizations, especially the United Nations and CICA.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress in economic and trade cooperation, particularly since the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union took effect in 2016. They agreed to review and enhance the bilateral agreements and further facilitate trade, investment, and collaboration in agriculture. They also discussed the potential areas of cooperation, including logistics, tourism, and education-training.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev of Kazakhstan met with Vice President Xuan during the CICA6 Summit and highly valued Vietnam’s role and contributions within the CICA framework. The two leaders agreed on the need to further capitalize on the advantages generated by the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the opening of a direct air route. They also aimed to raise the two-way trade turnover to USD 1.5 billion by 2030.
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| On the sidelines of the VI CICA Summit being held in Astana, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has held a meeting with Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. Source: Akorda |
Other activities during the trip included Vice President Xuan’s speech at the plenary session of the CICA6, as well as meetings with other heads of delegations on the sidelines of the event. Vietnam, which became a member of CICA in 2020, has actively contributed to promoting dialogues and building trust within the framework of CICA and strengthened cooperation with member countries.
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| Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan at her meeting with Meenakashi Lekhi, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and for Culture. Photo: VNA |
Additionally, Vice President Xuan and leaders from Vietnam and Kazakhstan witnessed an announcement ceremony by Vietjet regarding new routes connecting Almaty city in Kazakhstan and Nha Trang city in central Vietnam. The routes are set to commence this October, offering two flights per week.
Before visiting Kazakhstan, Vice President Xuan also had an official visit to Croatia to strengthen bilateral relations. This was the first high-ranking visit to Croatia by a senior leader of Vietnam since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1994.
