State counselor's Vietnam visit boosts bilateral ties: Myanm

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's two-day official visit to Vietnam has contributed to boosting relations between Myanmar and Vietnam, said a statement of Myanmar's Foreign Ministry Sunday.

Aung San Suu Kyi paid an official visit to Vietnam on April 19-20 at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During their talks in Hanoi, the two leaders reviewed bilateral traditional friendship and progress in cooperation in recent years, particularly the elevation of bilateral ties to comprehensive cooperative partnership in August 2017, which has opened up a new chapter in bilateral relations, according to the statement.

Both sides reaffirmed to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in all areas including political, trade and investment, defense and people-to-people exchanges, and reiterated their commitment to the two-way trade target of 1 billion US dollars or higher by 2020 from 830 million dollars in 2017, a 51 percent increase compared to 2016.

Vietnam has become the 9th largest trading partner and the 7th largest foreign investor in Myanmar.

The Vietnamese side expressed continued support for Myanmar's efforts towards peace and national reconciliation, while Myanmar side hailed Vietnam's achievements in reform and progress on social-economic life of its people and sustainable development.

The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation in regional and international fora including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.

During Aung San Suu Kyi's visit in Vietnam, a memorandum (MoU) of understanding on cooperation in post, telecommunication and information communication technology, and another MoU on cooperation in information were signed.

It was Suu Kyi's another visit to Vietnam in five months after she attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam in November last year.

The two countries established diplomatic relations 1975.