HANOI: Vietnam and Bangladesh enjoy an excellent traditional friendship on the basis of historical similarities and the shared values of independence, peace, cooperation and development,” he said ahead of his three-day official visit to Bangladesh beginning tomorrow.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, the president said the leaders and people of the two countries have always cherished and preserved the precious tradition for strengthening cooperation to advance bilateral relations.
He said cooperation in economy, trade, defence, security, agriculture, education and training have seen encouraging results. In particular, bilateral trade turnover in the last year saw a dramatic growth, exceeding $900 million, up 50 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam and Bangladesh also share common positions on various regional and international issues, and are working closely and supporting each other at international forums and the United Nations, he added.
The high level visit from Vietnam is taking place after a long gap since the tour of then president Tran Duc Luong to Bangladesh in 2004. Dhaka is all set to welcome the Vietnamese president who is scheduled to arrive here at 4:00pm tomorrow from New Delhi.
