Vietnam and Singapore will increase cooperation in various areas within the framework of the Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity Framework Agreement.

Cooperation will be focused on finance-banking, investment, trade, services, transportation, education-training, post and telecommunications and information technology.

The agreement was reached during the sixth bilateral political consultation in Singapore on January 5 co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Singaporean Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan.

At the meeting, both sides expressed their pleasure at the rapid and strong development of the two countries’ comprehensive cooperation, especially after the official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in January 2010, and the State visit to Singapore by President Truong Tan Sang last September.

They agreed that the two countries have established a favourable foundation for lifting bilateral relations to a new height. They affirmed to increase exchanges and dialogues to seek strategic cooperative contents in the short-, medium- and long-term, in the interest of the two people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development of ASEAN and the whole region.

Both hosts and guests agreed to boost cooperation within ASEAN and accelerate the building of ASEAN Community in 2015 on schedule. They held that with its increasing role and prestige in the region and the world, ASEAN should make more efforts to overcome challenges and ensure its centrality in the evolving regional architecture.

The two sides spoke highly of ASEAN efforts in dealing with East Sea issue, including the acceleration of the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and affirmed to work with other ASEAN countries and China to speed up the compilation of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC).

Singapore voiced support for Vietnam’s negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries and agreed to maintain such political consultations.

The seventh political consultation will be held in Vietnam next year

(VOVNEWS)