(VOVworld) - Governor-General Jerry Mateparae and his wife are paying a State-level visit to Vietnam from August 3-8 at the invitation of State President Truong Tan Sang. Talks were held between the two leaders after the official welcoming ceremony on Monday in Hanoi.

President Truong Tan Sang and Governor-General Jerry Mateparae at a media conference on Monday

President Sang expressed his belief that Mateparae’s visit would contribute to boosting the comprehensive partnership between the two countries. Both leaders said that they were satisfied with their flourishing ties over the past 4 years, particularly when Vietnam and New Zealand upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2009. They expressed pleasure over their close cooperation in regional and world forums such as ASEAN, EAS, ARF, APEC, ASEM, the UN and the negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Both leaders reiterated the importance of peace, stability, safety, security and free navigation, stressing the need for respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the intention to reach a Code of Conduct of parties in the East Sea. After the talks, both leaders witnessed the signing of the Vietnam-New Zealand Plan of Action for the 2013-2016 period and the agreement on double taxation avoidance. President Sang told the media about the outcome of the visit: “Both sides discussed many momentous issues and mapped out major directions for developing bilateral ties in politics, security, defense, trade, investment and at regional and global forums. Politically, both sides agreed to exchange high-level visits and contacts as well as boost people-to-people diplomacy. Both sides agreed to increase two-way trade to 1 billion USD by 2015. We appreciated our mutual support for each other in joining the UN Security Council for Vietnam for the 2020-2021 term and for New Zealand for the 2014-2015 term”.

During the occasion, Governor-General Mateparae invited President Sang and his wife to visit New Zealand and the invitation was accepted.

On Monday, at a reception for visiting Governor-General Mateparae in Hanoi, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung stressed that the visit would help deepen the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand. Hung invited Mateparae to visit Vietnam and attend the general assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to be held in Hanoi in 2015. Governor-General Mateparae shared Hung’s view on continuing their close cooperation in implementing projects for mutual benefits and for peace and development in the region and the world.

The same day, visiting Governor-General Jerry Mateparae was recieved by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.