(VOVworld) -  Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key began an official visit to Vietnam on Saturday to promote comprehensive cooperation between the countries.

At the ceremony to welcome New Zealand PM John Key in Hanoi on Nov. 15th, 2015. (Photo: Duc Tam /VNA)

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his New Zealand’s counterpart held talks following the welcoming ceremony on Sunday.

They said Vietnam and New Zealand have become close partners and supported each other’s development, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and growth in the region. The two leaders agreed to lift the current relationship to a strategic partnership.

Mr. John Key reiterated his country’s continued development aid for Vietnam, especially in agriculture, education and skills, and natural disaster risk management.

Both prime ministers exchanged their viewpoints on the current developments in the East Sea that have affected regional trust, peace, security, and stability.

They insisted on the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea as well as addressing maritime disputes in line with international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The leaders also underscored the need for parties involved to abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, restrain and not take any acts to increase tensions including the use of force to unilaterally change the status quo of the area. They reached a consensus on speeding up the building of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea and intensifying coordination at international forums.

The same day, PM John Key paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid a wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial.