Vietnamese president views trend of Tehran-Hanoi ties

Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang said the positive trend in Tehran-Hanoi ties heralds promising prospects for the two countries' future relations.The Vietnamese president made the remarks in a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to Hanoi Seyed Javad Qavam Shahidi. Sang thanked the efforts made by the Iranian envoy to expand the bilateral ties between the two sides, and stated, "Vietnam attaches special importance to the promotion of its relations with Iran." He stressed his country's willingness to establish closer cooperation with Iran and the two sides' reciprocal support for their common stances at regional and international bodies and circles. The Vietnamese president also announced that he plans to visit Iran in the near future. The Iranian diplomat, for his part, lauded the positive trend in the expansion of the bilateral ties in economic, cultural and social fields, and stressed that exchange of high-ranking delegations would play a key role in accelerating cooperation between the two Asian states. Briefing the Vietnamese leader about the efforts made by the two sides to widen and consolidate Tehran-Hanoi ties and cooperation, Shahidi said that the two countries have signed a document to support reciprocal investment, and added that three new cooperation agreements are ready to be inked by the two sides. Earlier, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh stressed his country's enthusiasm for the further reinvigoration of relations with Tehran, and called for increasing mutual cooperation between the two countries within the framework of regional and international bodies.