VNHNO - Vietnam and Bangladesh should make stronger efforts to translate their potential into sound cooperation in economics, trade and investment, Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, told Bangladeshi Commerce Minister, Tofail Ahmed, during their meeting in Hanoi on September 13.
PM Phuc welcomed Ahmed to Vietnam for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) and lauded the long-standing friendship between the two countries, which has been growing steadily.
Vietnam and Bangladesh share many similarities and have all of the necessary conditions to enhance trade, he said, adding that the two sides need to discuss measures to step up their cooperation.
Ahmed, for his part, appreciated Vietnam as a good friend of Bangladesh. He said he is impressed with what Vietnam has achieved in multiple areas and suggested that the two nations cooperate more in textile and garments.
Vietnam is Bangladesh’s large trade partner, so the South Asian country wants to raise the annual bilateral trade to US$ 2 billion, according to the commerce minister.
Furthermore, the business climate in Bangladesh has improved remarkably in recent years, creating a good opportunity for investors from Vietnam, he noted, saying he also hopes the bilateral ties in economics, trade and investment will progress in the coming years.
Noting his guest’s proposal, PM Phuc agreed that two-way trade has failed to meet the two countries’ potential so they must make greater efforts to reach US$ 2 billion in trade revenue. He suggested that both nations provide broader market access to each other’s key export products and ramp up business-to-business meetings.
The PM added that Vietnam wants to invest in Bangladesh in agriculture, forestry, fishery, textile and garments, and industry and expects the government of Bangladesh to facilitate Vietnamese enterprises in the country./.
