Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev started his official visit to Vietnam on May 18.

The Azerbaijani president and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva were met by Vietnamese senior state and government officials at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

President Aliyev and his spouse were officially welcomed at the Palace of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and First Lady Mai Thi Hanh on May 19.

After the welcoming ceremony, President Aliyev and his Vietnamese counterpart held a meeting in one-on-one format and exchanged views on bilateral, international and other issues of mutual interest.

After the meeting in a limited format, the presidents of the two countries held an expanded meeting with the participation of delegations from both sides and exchanged views on different aspects of bilateral relations, including the cooperation within international organizations and the expansion of cooperation in energy, science, investment and other spheres.

Later, the two countries signed several Azerbaijani-Vietnamese bilateral documents, including an agreement on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation, a convention on the elimination of double taxation of incomes and property and prevention of tax evasion.

After the signing of Azerbaijani-Vietnamese documents, the presidents made statements for the press.

Also, President Ilham Aliyev met in Hanoi with Vietnamese students educated in Azerbaijan.

The president made a speech at the meeting.

Azerbaijani-Vietnam cooperation is fast developing. Azerbaijan opened its embassy in Vietnam last December, while the Azerbaijan-Vietnam inter-parliamentary friendship group was established in Hanoi in November 2013. The group includes six members of Vietnam's National Assembly.

In October 2013, Vietnam simplified the visa regime for Azerbaijani citizens, making it possible for Azerbaijani citizens to obtain a visa upon arrival at Vietnam's airports.