HA NOI (VNS) — Turkey and Viet Nam can enhance joint efforts on boosting development in both countries, according to diplomats and professors at a seminar held in Ha Noi yesterday.
Speaking at the seminar on Viet Nam and Turkey in the new development context, Turkish Ambassador to Viet Nam Ahmet Akif Oktay praised Viet Nam’s achievements during its renewal process during the past 20 years.
Oktay singled out successes in the fields of economics, politics, security and social order, as well as during Viet Nam’s period of international integration.
The seminar was co-organised by the Institute for Africa and Middle East Studies (IAMES) at the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences, the Turkish embassy and the Centre for Strategic Research (SAM) at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Turkey.
Oktay said that despite the challenges still ahead, he believed developments in bilateral ties revealed huge potential for further co-operation, especially in economics and trade.
Sharing his view with the Turkish ambassador, Professor Vo Khanh Vinh, Vice president of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, said bilateral ties had entered a remarkable era since Viet Nam implemented its doi moi policy and particularly since the two sides signed an agreement to boost bilateral trade in 1997.
“Turkey has become the biggest trade partner in Western Asia. Investment co-operation in many areas including tourism, labour and strategic dialogues have blossomed,” said Vinh.
Meanwhile, Prof Bui Nhat Quang from the IAMES said Turkey enjoyed a special geographic position in the Eurasian region that bestows the country with many advantages in its economic, political, cultural and social development.
“In Viet Nam, Turkey is perceived as a power which is emerging on the world scene and should be taken into consideration as a ‘would-be strategic partner’ in the region,” Quang said.
However, Quang added, Viet Nam needs to better understand Turkey to ensure closer co-operation.
He appealed for more Vietnamese groups to engage with Turkish people and suggest some suitable solutions for enhancement of bilateral relations towards 2020. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
