Hanoi.- The State and people of Vietnam wish to strengthen and widen the friendship and co-operation with Latin America, especially the Dominican Republic, in areas of economy, trade, investment, education, science and technology, and culture, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet said on Friday.

The President told Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, who is in the country on a state visit and is the highest-ranking Dominican delegate to visit Vietnam since the Dominican Republic established diplomatic relations with Vietnam in July 2005, that the two countries should have more exchanges of delegations, promote co-operation in all strong areas such as tourism, ore exploration, machinery and transport.

As Morales Troncoso and the Vietnamese leader mulled measures to further promote the friendship and co-operation between the two countries, the president said that bilateral relations had seen active development and had great potential for mutual national development.

Troncoso said his country was considering co-operation with Vietnam in producing solar batteries and buses. The Dominican Republic was also ready to share  its experience in tourism, agricultural machinery and mineral exploitation with Vietnam.

The minister expressed his admiration for the Vietnamese people’s fight for national independence, freedom and reunification in the past and their present drive for national construction.

He told Triet the talks between his delegation and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem would create a basis for further development of bilateral relations.

The two also discussed international and regional issues of common concern and co-ordination between the two countries at international and multilateral forums.

The president asked Troncoso to convey his invitation to Dominican President Leonel Fernandez Reyna to visit Vietnam.