This will be the second Vietnam visit by the Belorussian President in 10 years. The first visit was in April 1997. Since then the two countries have exchanged many high-level delegations.

Prime Minister Sergei Sidorski visited Vietnam in 2004, and Chairman of the Republic Council of the Belorrusian parliament G. Noviski followed suit in 2005. The latest visit to Vietnam by a Belorussian official, Deputy Foreign Minister Viktar Gaisenak, took place in October 2006.

President Tran Duc Luong visited Belarus in 1998. Other visits by former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and the former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An took place in 200, 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Economic-commercial relations between the two countries saw remarkable development in recent years. Two-way trade turnover in 2006 was US$49.4 million, US$7 million more than in 2005.

Vietnam exports natural rubber, rice, seafood, tea, cashew nuts to Belarus and imports Kali fertilizer, trucks for mining, tractors and automobile spare parts from the country.

However, bilateral economic-commercial relations have been still modest, not matching the two countries' potential and political relations.

In December 2005, the Vietnam-Belarus Inter-Governmental Commission on Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation held a meeting in Hanoi.

The two sides exchanged views on expanding cooperation in economy, commerce, industry, energy, agriculture, oil refinery as well as education and training.
During the visit to Vietnam, President Lukashenko was scheduled to hold talks with President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, meet with National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and pay a courtesy visit to Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

VNA/VOVNews