By the invitation of Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian who is in Hanoi on an official visit on February 24th was received by Truong Tan Sang, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Welcoming the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of Vietnam said that Vietnam has a brotherly feeling towards Armenia and Armenian people, which is first of all due to the important support provided to Vietnam during the war and post-war reconstruction. “Many of our citizens were educated in Armenia and currently they bring their knowledge into the development of our country, and Vietnamese people are grateful to Armenia for that support. Today we are stressing the importance to develop the relations with independent Armenia and we are willing to undertake the relevant steps towards that direction.” The President of Vietnam reaffirmed the invitation sent to the President of the Republic of Armenia to visit Hanoi and underlined that he would be glad to welcome the President of friendly Armenia in Vietnam. Thanking for the reception and warm words, Edward Nalbandian conveyed the President of Vietnam the greetings and wishes of the Armenian President and informed that President Sargsyan accepted the invitation of his counterpart to visit Vietnam and it would be held in the first half of the year. It was mutually assured that the upcoming visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia would give a new impetus to the development of the relations between the two friendly countries. The President of Vietnam and the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs had a thorough talk on the steps to be undertaken towards the promotion of bilateral relations, as well as the integration processes being conducted in the Asian region. In this context, President Truong Tan Sang mentioned that taking into account the friendly relations of the two countries his country can become a gateway for Armenia to the Asian-Pacific region. On the same day Edward Nalbandian visited the Mausoleum of the founder of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh and laid a wreath at the mausoleum. Minister Nalbandian paid tribute to the victims who died for Vietnam’s independence and freedom, as well. The talks of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Vietnam Edward Nalbandian and Pham Binh Minh took place in Hanoi, during which the issues on the development of bilateral relations were touched upon. The sides exchanged views on regional and international issues, as well as the ways of their solution. Referring to the Armenian-Vietnamese relations Edward Nalbandian noted that thousands of Vietnamese who received education in Armenia during the Soviet era, and the Armenians who worked in Vietnam connect the two countries and peoples to one another with specific ties. Edward Nalbandian and Pham Binh Minh shared the opinion that the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries must become a breakthrough from the viewpoint of giving a new impetus to the interaction between the two countries. The Ministers reached an agreement to work on the expansion of legal framework and to prepare for the signing of the agreements on the cooperation between the MFAs of the two countries, and the interaction in the sphere of trade and economy, culture, visa regime facilitation. The sides agreed to expand the cooperation and to support one another’s candidacies within international organizations, as well as to undertake steps towards the development of tourism. Minister Nalbandian presented the main directions and priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, the steps undertaken towards the cooperation and maintenance of security in the Caucasian region, and the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. In this regard, Vietnam’s Foreign Minister expressed their support to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on the basis of international law. Pham Binh Minh informed his Armenian counterpart about the developments in the Asian region and Vietnam’s approaches on them. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Vietnam exchanged views on the developments unrolling in the Middle East, as well. The Hanoi agenda of Edward Nalbandian’s visit included the visit to the Diplomatic Academy established in 1959 where the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a speech on Armenia’s foreign policy and the Armenian-Vietnam relations for the students of the Academy, the Press, information and public relations department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informs.

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