To mark the 15^th anniversary of diplomatic ties on September 23, Azerbaijan ambassador to China and Vietnam Yashar Alivev met and granted an interview to a group of VOV reporters in Beijing.

The ambassador expressed his warm sentiments towards the Vietnamese people and the nation, emphasizing that Azerbaijan wants to boost comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

Mr Aliyev said Vietnam and Azerbaijan have a long traditional friendship. In the former Soviet Union period, many Vietnamese students studied at universities and colleges in Azerbaijan in the fields of petroleum, agriculture and mechanics. He said he has visited Vietnam and met Vietnamese students who studied in Azerbaijan and now occupy important positions in state agencies and large enterprises. He expressed deep feelings that the friendship between Vietnam and Azerbaijan has taken root in the hearts of both peoples.

The ambassador said Azerbaijan people love Vietnam’s handicrafts very much. Currently, the country has eight million people and almost all families own Vietnam’s handicrafts. In spite of geographic distance, the peoples of both countries respect and understand each other.

Reviewing the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Azerbaijan over recent years, he said the relationship has developed well but not yet matched the potential of each country. He added that Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia and Azerbaijan is also the fastest growing economy in Caucasua region with an average growth rate of 30 percent per year. Both countries have great potential to develop strong bilateral relations in the fields of politics, economics, culture and education.

Mr Alivev said he wishes to further extend relations between the two countries. One desire is to open an Azerbaijan embassy in Hanoi and establish an Azerbaijan-Vietnam Friendship Association in future. In addition, he wants to further strengthen bilateral trade relations, hoping that petroleum companies of both countries will closely co-operate with each other.

“We are willing to welcome Vietnamese students to study in Azerbaijan as before. We hope that there will be many cultural exchange activities between the two countries. We can also cooperate in the fields of sports and physical training”.

Mr Alivev said the government of Azerbaijan plans to open an Azerbaijan embassy in Hanoi to further promote friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.