(VOVworld)- President Truong Tan Sang hosted a reception in Hanoi on Friday for Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, who is also Vice Chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The Vietnamese leader said the time-honoured relations between Vietnam and Ethiopia are a prerequisite for the countries to foster their bilateral cooperation, especially in fields of their strength. He suggested affiliation in telecommunications, infrastructure construction, and agro-forestry-fishery processing. President Sang urged both sides to conduct thorough surveys, sign agreements on trade and investment, organise joint goods fairs, and consider opening a direct air route to facilitate all-round cooperation. Demeke Mekonnen congratulated Vietnam on its renewal attainments, adding that with similarities in history and poverty reduction, both countries can exchange experience in national development.