Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam-MyanmarJoint Committee for Bilateral Cooperation held its ninth meeting in Hanoi onMarch 12, during which its members shared the view that the countries’comprehensive cooperative partnership is becoming increasingly substantive.

The event was chaired by Vietnamese Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Myanmar Minister ofInternational Cooperation U Kyaw Tin.

Reviewing cooperation in different fields sincethe eighth meeting in May 2015, the two sides applauded efforts by theircountries’ ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses to boost relationsin a result-oriented manner.

They noted the growing political trust andcohesion through frequent mutual visits and meetings at high levels. Mostrecently, Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a statevisit to Myanmar in August 2017, and Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San SuuKyi made an official trip to Vietnam in April 2018.

At the meeting, the officials agreed to enhanceconnections via all channels, including between the two countries’ parties,governments, states, parliaments, and localities. 

Vietnam and Myanmar will actively carry out cooperationmechanisms, build an action plan for implementing the comprehensive cooperativepartnership for 2013-2023, promote the realisation of agreements reached duringhigh-ranking visits, and increase people-to-people diplomatic activities.

The countries will also set up a defence policydialogue mechanism in 2019; boost collaboration in fighting trans-nationalcrimes; conduct negotiations on a treaty for mutual assistance in criminalmatters; and work together to deal with non-traditional security issues,especially terrorism, trans-national crimes, environmental security, and waterresources security.

The two sides also reaffirmed that they do notallow any organisations or individuals to take advantage of one country’sterritory to sabotage the other nation.

Highlighting breakthroughs in economic links,they noted Vietnam is currently the ninth biggest trade partner of Myanmar,with bilateral trade reaching 873.9 million USD in 2018, up 5.5 percent fromthe previous year. With such a growth trend, they believe that the figure willhit the target of 1 billion USD in the near future. Additionally, Vietnam ranksseventh among investors in Myanmar, with 18 projects worth over 2.1 billion USDin total.

Participants at the meeting said partnershipshave reaped encouraging outcomes in transport, agriculture, culture, sports,tourism, finance, banking, information-communications, and education-training.However, there remains much potential and advantages that need to becapitalised on in the coming time.

They also agreed to maintain and promote peace,security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in theEast Sea; respect international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea; resolve disputes by peaceful means, not militarise norcomplicate the situation; carry out the Declaration on the Conduct of Partiesin the East Sea; and soon finalise a substantive and effective Code of Conductin the waters.

During the event, the two sides also agreed tokeep coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums,especially within the framework of ASEAN, the UN, the Ayeyawady-ChaoPhraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnamcooperation, the Greater Mekong Subregion, and the East-West Economic Corridor.

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh askedMyanmar to consider reducing the licence waiting time for Vietnamese investmentfirms, along with the list of Vietnamese goods that need to be licensed beforethey are imported into Myanmar. He also asked for detailed guidelines onMyanmar’s laws for Vietnamese businesses, and a timely settlement of obstaclesfacing Vietnamese investments.

The Myanmar side pledged to resolve the concernsof Vietnamese investors.

Minister U Kyaw Tin affirmed his country’ssupport for Vietnam when it holds the ASEAN Chair in 2020, in a bid to step upthe ASEAN Community building, strengthen the bloc’s solidarity, and raiseASEAN’s role in an evolving regional architecture.

He also reiterated Myanmar’s support forVietnam’s candidacy for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for2020-2021.

The 10th meeting of the Joint Committee forBilateral Cooperation will be held in Myanmar in 2021. –VNA