“There are opportunities for expansion in many areas which will greatly benefit both countries,” said PM John Key

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has described the upcoming visit by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung as testament to the depth of friendship between the two countries.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (Source: Yonhap/VNA)

“There are opportunities for expansion in many areas which will greatly benefit both countries,” PM John Key said in an exclusive interview to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to the country on March 19-20.

According to the New Zealand PM, over the past 40 years, the relationship has gone from strength to strength, particularly since the two countries established the Comprehensive Partnership in 2009.

“We’ve seen a significant boost in trade - including 120 percent growth in two-way merchandise trade in the past five years alone, as well as deepening cooperation in other important areas including agriculture, education, development assistance, and our defence relationship,” he said.

In the future, the two countries will continue boosting cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, education, agriculture, aviation, tourism and food safety, according to the PM.

He stressed PM Dung’s visit “provides us with an excellent opportunity to look to the future, and consider how we can further enhance the Comprehensive Partnership over the next five years.”

PM Key said that Vietnam is a valued partner for New Zealand in the region, stressed the important role of cooperation between his country and Vietnam in ASEAN.

The two countries work together closely in many regional forums, including APEC, the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus process, and the East Asia Summit, he said./.

Complied by VNF