LOC19:24
16:24 GMT
KUWAIT, Nov 18 (KUNA) -- Kuwait and Vietnam have agreed to propel bilateral relations to the level of a "strategic partnership," thanks largely to the inextricable links between the two nations, said a joint statement after high-level talks on Tuesday.
Discussing current happening around the world and matters of mutual concern, Kuwait's Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah held talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh, in which the latter congratulated Kuwait on the accomplishments seen while it was at the helm of the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Supreme Council.
The talks highlighted that progress in relations has remained on an upward trajectory since it began in earnest back in 1976, ushering in "new growth" towards bolstering economic cooperation, according to the draft statement, which cited plans to ratchet up similar high-level talks in a bid to bring bilateral deals and memorandums of understanding (MoU) to fruition, it said.
Against the backdrop of the "golden jubilee," of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Kuwait and Hanoi have agreed to mark the significant occasion by upgrading bilateral ties to the level of a "strategic partnership," which encompasses enhancing cooperation on key sectors that run the gamut from emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, to food security, it added.
The statement underlined an agreement to beef up cooperation in the energy sector through joint works in oil and gas exploration, in addition to the development of the petrochemical and renewable energy industries, citing Vietnam's largest refinery Nghi Son, co-owned by Kuwait Petroleum International, as a case in point.
The Vietnamese prime minister went on to express his country's gratitude for the development aid it has received from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, which he said will be instrumental in improving vital infrastructure in the Southeast Asian nation.
At a time where the GCC's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc have grown in proximity, Kuwait and Vietnam agreed to further coordinate and increase their cooperation on the international stage, added the statement.
The talks yielded a number of key agreements, including starting negotiations for a free trade agreement in a bid to expand trade and investment relations, in addition to a protocol to amend a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders and an MoU for cooperation between the two countries' foreign ministries, it said. (end)
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