State President begins official visit to Azerbaijan

State President Truong Tan Sang arrived at Heydar Aliyev international airport in Baku on the afternoon of May 13 for a three-day official visit to Azerbaijan.

President Sang was welcomed at the airport. (VOV)

The President was welcomed at the airport by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Eyyubov Yaqub, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalaf Aly Oglu Khalafov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nguyen Thanh Son.

The Vietnamese Head of State is scheduled to meet with Azerbaijani leaders and witness the signing of co-operation agreements between the two countries.

He will also meet with Azerbaijani war veterans as well as professors and experts who previously assisted in training Vietnamese oil and gas engineers.

He is expected to attend the Vietnam-Azerbaijan business forum and meet with Vietnamese students in the host country.

Vietnam and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in 1992. Since then, the two countries have maintained regular delegation exchanges and coordinated at international forums, including the United Nations.

Last year, two-way trade reached US$422 million, up US$97 million from 2013. The main exports out of Vietnam included mobile phones, computers, electronics and components, aquatic products, confectionary and cereals to Azerbaijan while importing crude oil and petrol.

Oil and gas is the key pillar in their bilateral co-operation, with Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group opening a representative office in Azerbaijan in 2011.

The two nations also inked a number of agreements, including those on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service/public passport, and co-operation in trade and science-technology and avoidance of double taxation.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)