Wide opportunities for expansion of Baku-Hanoi ties

/AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and Vietnamese MPs called for the expansion of the relations between the two countries.

First Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov met members of the Committee on Law of the Vietnamese National Assembly on October 9, AzerTag news agency reported.

Asgarov spoke of the relations between the two countries, saying documents signed during President Ilham Aliyev`s visit to Vietnam opened wide opportunities for the development of bilateral cooperation.

He noted that there were great opportunities for the expansion of relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam on various fronts, including humanitarian and economic ones.

Speaking on rapid development processes in Azerbaijan, Asgarov hailed Azerbaijan`s economy as a strong economy.

Touching upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Asgarov said 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s territories have been kept under occupation by Armenia and over one million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and IDPs as a result of the Armenian invasion.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

Asgarov said Armenia continues its aggressive policy and ignores four resolutions of the UN Security Council and other international organizations` documents on the settlement of the dispute."

Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Vietnamese National Assembly Phan Trung Ly, for his part, praised friendly relations between the two countries.

Phan Trung Ly said he graduated from Baku State University, and expressed confidence that the visit would be a success.

The Vietnamese MPs also met with met members of the Azerbaijani Parliament's Committee on Law Policy and State Building.

Phan Trung Ly expressed his country`s interest to expand inter-parliamentary cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Chairman of Azerbaijani Parliament's Committee on Law Policy and State Building Ali Huseynli briefed Phan Trung Ly on the activities of the Committee.

Phan Trung Ly praised Azerbaijan`s achievements over the last years.

On the same day, the Vietnamese MPs met with the members of a working group on inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam.

Chairman of the working group Novruzali Aslanov noted the friendly relations between the peoples of Azerbaijan and Vietnam and said bilateral relations have been developing rapidly in recent years.

Aslanov briefed the Vietnamese officials about the activity of the Azerbaijani parliament and new laws adopted so far.

Phan Trung Ly, for his turn, briefed Aslanov about his country's legislation system.

During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual interest.

Vietnam recognized Azerbaijan's independence in December 1991. The two countries established diplomatic relations in September 1992. Azerbaijan officially opened its embassy in Hanoi in December 2013. Vietnam does not have an embassy in Azerbaijan, which has made it difficult for Azerbaijani citizens to obtain visas. According to the new rules, Azerbaijani citizens only need to provide the relevant documents given by the Vietnamese travel agencies regarding their trip in order to get a visa.

Vietnam - Azerbaijan relations have been fraternal and traditional. There is no outstanding issue between the two countries. During the Soviet times, Azerbaijan helped Vietnam educate and train many students and officials at graduate level, especially in oil and gas industry.