Vietnam and Uzbekistan promote oil and gas co-operation

Viet Nam and Uzbekistan have agreed to promote bilateral co-operation on oil and gas exploration in order to sign a contract on oil and gas exploration in Uzbekistan and transfer coal-to-liquid technology.

The agreement was reached at the two-day second meeting of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Co-operation which closed in Hanoi on August 21, officials announced at a press conference today.

Uzbekistan said it is willing to provide Vietnam with cotton and cotton fibre on a long-term and stable manner.

The two sides also reached a consensus to soon build and sign an agreement on visa exemption on Vietnamese citizens with diplomatic passports.

In agriculture, Viet Nam and Uzbekistan agreed to sign an agreement on the quarantine of plants and an agreement on agricultural co-operation.

During the meeting, the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries signed a co-operation agreement and the Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and Uzbekistan's State oil and gas company Uzbeneftegaz signed an agreement on oil and gas co-operation.

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Le Danh Vinh, deputy minister of industry and trade and president of the Viet Nam sub-committee of the Uzbekistan Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Co-operation while the Uzbekistan delegation was headed by N. Najimov, first deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade and president of the Uzbekistan sub-committee.

During their working visit to Viet Nam, the Uzbekistan delegation had working sessions with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), PetroVietnam, Vietnam Airlines, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, the associations of garment and textiles and footwear and visited Tien Son Industrial Park in northern Bac Ninh province to discuss bilateral co-operation of mutual concern.

Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Uzbekistan stood at US$6 million in 2007 which is said yet to tap the potential of both countries.

Currently, Viet Nam imports cotton, fibre, machinery, equipment and fertiliser from Uzbekistan and exports footwear, garments and textiles, seafood and others to the central Asian country. (Nhan Dan)