(VOVworld)- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hosted a ceremony in Hanoi on Monday to welcome Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Vasilev Oresharski and his wife who are on an official visit to Vietnam.

In talks after the welcoming ceremony, Prime Minister Dung thanked the Bulgarian people for their support in Vietnam’s struggle for national liberation. The Bulgarian Prime Minister stressed that Vietnam was Bulgaria’s strategic partner in Southeast Asia. The two Prime Ministers briefed each other on the situation in their respective countries, and discussed bilateral ties and issues of mutual concern. They agreed to further bilateral cooperation in regional and global forums. Vietnamese Prime Minister Dung spoke to reporters after the talks: “We agreed to maintain exchanges at all levels, increase all-round cooperation, especially in economics, education, training, culture, tourism, national defence and security. We aim to increase two-way trade turnover, increase the efficiency of our cooperation, create favorable conditions for both business communities to meet and establish partnerships and expand markets in the areas of mutual interest, such as infrastructure construction, urban development planning, public transport development, the efficient use of energy, environmental protection, and food processing”.

After talks, the two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on agriculture, livestock breeding and fishery cooperation, and also cultural and tourism cooperation programs for 2014-2016 between Vietnam and Bulgaria.Prime Minister Dung held a banquette in honor of his Bulgarian guests later that evening.