Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov will pay an official visit to Vietnam on November 15-16.

 The visit was made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, according to a communiqué released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 11.

 Vietnam and Ukraine established diplomatic ties in 1992. They have regularly maintained the exchange of delegations at all levels to strengthen cooperation in various areas.

 During a visit to Vietnam in 2011 by President Viktor Yanukovych, both sides signed a joint statement on the establishment of their comprehensive cooperation partnership and a number of other cooperation agreements.

After Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Ukraine in October 2011, the Ukrainian Airlines – AeroSvit – opened a direct air route linking Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City. The two countries also established a Vietnamese language faculty at Kiev National University, and a Ukrainian language faculty at Hanoi National University.   

 PM Mykola Azarov affirmed Ukraine’s resolve to strengthen economic ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Vietnam, during his talks with PM Dung in Kiev. They agreed to double Ukraine-Vietnam trade value in 2012 from US$350 million recorded in 2011.

Last year, Vietnam maintained a trade surplus of US$100 million with Ukraine, mostly exporting seafood, garments, sport shoes, tea, rice, cashew nuts, and tropical herbs.

VOV