(VOVworld) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited Vietnam from December 8 to December 9. He held talks with President Truong Tan Sang and Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National Assembly chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. The two countries released a joint statement on this occasion. Vietnam and Belarus agreed to increase the exchange of high level visits and delegations and maintain consultative mechanisms to increase political trust and boost cooperation in all areas. The two countries agreed to boost economic, trade and investment cooperation and promote new opportunities created by the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union FTA.

Belarus praised Vietnam’s exemption of visas for Belarusian citizens entering Vietnam from July 1, 2015, which will have a positive impact on bilateral cooperation/ Vietnam wants Belarus to facilitate visa granting for Vietnamese citizens who want to enter Belarus.

Vietnam values Belarus’s creation of favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Belarus, contributing to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

The two countries praised bilateral cooperation in multilateral forums and pledged to continue supporting each other at the UN, the Non-aligned Movement, and other international forums.

The two countries support the settlement of territorial disputes including disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures without the use of force in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They advocated full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea toward adopting a Code of Conduct in the East Sea to ensure security and freedom of navigation in the East Sea.