Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani  

 Expressing their delight at the recent progress in the Viet Nam - Qatar friendship and cooperation, the two officials held that there remains much room for their countries to further strengthen cooperation, especially in politics - diplomacy, economy, energy, tourism, and labour.

 They underlined the need for coordination to successfully organise activities marking the 30^th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023, including increasing all-level mutual visits, holding cultural and sports exchanges, and upholding mutual support at multilateral forums and international and regional organisations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The talks between Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Hanoi on August 15.

 The two sides agreed to boost trade and investment promotion, create conditions for Vietnamese and Qatari products to enter each other’s markets, and improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the countries’ management and investment bodies such as the Qatar Investment Authority and the State Capital Investment Corporation of Viet Nam.

 Minister Son affirmed that Viet Nam will provide favourable conditions for Qatari businesses and investment funds to explore the market.

 He voiced his hope for more tourists from Qatar to visit Viet Nam in the time ahead as the local tourism sector is recovering strongly after the pandemic.

 To create breakthroughs for bilateral relations, he recommended the countries hold the third meeting of their Joint Committee early to discuss measures for reinforcing multifaceted ties and accelerating talks and signing of cooperation deals.

 For his part, the Qatari Deputy PM and Foreign Minister, who is on an official visit from August 14 to 15, highly valued Viet Nam’s socio-economic development achievements, saying Viet Nam is a priority partner of Qatar in Asia-Pacific and an attractive destination for investors from his country.

 Agreeing with his host’s opinions, he asked both sides to boost the sharing of information about investment projects and opportunities while expanding partnerships to other fields such as a green economy, renewable energy, science - technology, and agriculture.

 The two officials also touched upon regional and international issues of common concern.

 They also signed an agreement on visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports./.