Dhaka (VNA) – 𓂃Bangladesh’s daily English-language newspaper The Daily Star has carriedseveral articles emphasising the importance of Vietnamese President Tran DaiQuang’s three-day State visit to Bangladesh from March 4 at the invitation ofPresident Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

The newspaperquoted President Tran Dai Quang as saying in an interview granted to theBangladeshi press that Vietnam and Bangladesh have a time-honoured friendshipbased on historical similarities and shared values of independence, peace,cooperation and development. Since theestablishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, leaders and people of the twonations have treasured and preserved this valuable tradition, and at the sametime, spared no effort to further enhance the development of bilateralrelations.  “Wewant and believe that relevant agencies of both nations will make the most ofthese potential and advantages to look for suitable measures and developbilateral relations more practically and effectively, thereby meeting theaspirations and interests of their people”, said the Vietnamese President.

🌌[President: Vietnam wants to promote investment in Bangladesh]

In an earlierarticle, the newspaper quoted a senior official at the foreign ministry assaying that the two countries want to raise bilateral trade to 1 billion USD. “Bangladesh andVietnam are enjoying economic cooperation, with trade reaching 609 million USDin 2016 from only 93 million USD in 2009. Bangladesh exports pharmaceuticals,raw materials for garments and machinery to Vietnam, while Vietnam's majorexports to Bangladesh include iron, steel, fibre, textiles, plastics, rubberand electronics,” the article wrote. It reported that some100 business representatives from top Vietnam companies accompany theVietnamese president in the visit to Bangladesh. They will interact with theirBangladeshi counterparts and explore trade and investment potentials inBangladesh. The paper alsonoted that Dhaka is eager to connect itself with the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations, whose members are Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. According to thepaper, the diplomatic circle in Dhaka attaches importance to the upcoming visitof President Tran Dai Quang, during which the two countries are expected tosign about half a dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding forpromotion of trade, investment, connectivity and cooperation during the visit. It recalled thatseveral high-ranking officials of Bangladesh visited in recent years. PresidentMohammad Abdul Hamid visited Vietnam in August 2015, Prime Minister SheikhHasina in November 2015 and Speaker of the Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhuryin July 2017. Bangladesh andVietnam established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1973. Since then, thefriendship and cooperation between the two states have been enhanced in a widerange of areas, especially economy and trade. –VNA