(VOVworld)- The Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Joe Natuman and his wife began a 4-day official visit to Vietnam on Sunday at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. This will be Prime Minister Natuman’s first visit to Vietnam and the second by a Prime Minister of Vanuatu. Through this visit, Vietnam demonstrates its foreign policy of expanding relations with all countries for mutual benefit and for peace and stability in the world.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Joe Natuman

Vanuatu is an island country in the Pacific Ocean east of Australia, west of Fiji, south of the Solomon islands and north of New Caledonia. Vanuatu comprises of 83 islands with a total area of nearly 12,000 square kilometres. Its economy depends on small-scale agriculture which supports about two- thirds of its population. Vanuatu also has income from fishing, foreign financial services, construction and tourism.

Vanuatu accelerates economic reform

Vanuatu’s economy depends much more on agriculture than on industry, fishing, mining and tourism. Vanuatu’s average GDP growth rate is 2.9%. It imports machinery, vehicles, foodstuff, oil and chemicals and export a small volume of coconuts, cacao, beef, and wood. Australia, the UK, France, the EU, Japan and New Zealand are Vanuatu’s main partners and benefactors.

Since mid-2002, the Vanuatu government has focused on boosting the export of live cattle and tourism development through enhancing links with foreign airlines developing high-end resorts and cruise ships- the two economic spearheads. Vanuatu has accelerated comprehensive economic reform to boost economic growth.

Vanuatu pursues a peaceful, non-aligned and anti-nuclear weapons foreign policy. It has established diplomatic relations with nearly 80 countries and close cultural and economic ties with Australia, New Zealand, the EU, and the South Pacific. It is now focusing on developing relations with other countries, especially aid providers like China and the US. Vanuatu is a member of the UN (since in 1981), the Common Wealth, the Non-Aligned Movement (since 1983), the Agency for French-speaking Community (ACCT), the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the South Pacific Forum (SPF).

Vanuatu enhances ties with Vietnam

Vietnam and Vanuatu established diplomatic ties on March 3, 1982. Vanuatu has always treasured ties and cooperation with Vietnam. The two countries have exchanged delegations. In 1977, Vanuatu Prime Minister Serge Vohor came to Vietnam to attend the Francophone Summit in Hanoi. In April, 2007, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phu Binh led a Vietnamese delegation on an Overseas Vietnamese affairs visited to Vanuatu. The same year, Vanuatu Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade George Andre Wells paid an official visit to Vietnam. Last April, the President of Vanuatu’s Green Party Daniel Kala came to Vietnam for the Francophone Regional Forum on Economic Cooperation.

Due to geographic distance, economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has not yet developed to any great extent. Two-way trade was approximately 2 million USD in 2011, of which Vietnamese exports of meat, cereal, seafood, and ceramic products accounted for nearly 1.9 million USD. Thanks to many similarities, particularly in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, Vanuatu wants to strengthen friendship and cooperation with Vietnam. Some 500 Vietnamese citizens are currently residing in Vanuatu – a country with a population of only 267,000. The Vietnamese community is the second largest foreign community in Vanuatu. Many Vietnamese in Vanuatu have been successful and made significant contributions to its development. The two countries have cooperated at international forums including the United Nations. In June, 2014, Vanuatu recognized Vietnam’s market economy.

To build on the fine relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Natuman hopes his visit will strengthen bilateral cooperation in all spheres.