The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, and the Iranian delegation by Minister of Commerce Mehdi Ghazafari.

Both sides highlighted the friendship between the two countries and said the cooperative ties have fared well in various areas.

Mr Phat welcomed Iran’s initiative to draw up a 10-year cooperation programme between the two countries and pledged to work closely with the Islamic country to complete the programme.

Vietnam is keen to invest in Iran, especially in oil&gas exploration and exploitation, as well as in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and maritime transport, said Mr Phat.

He assigned the Ministry of Transport to work on a joint venture transport project with Iran, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the State Bank of Vietnam to specify areas of cooperation with Iran.

Minister Ghazafari expressed his hope that both sides will continue to boost cooperation in the near future to fully tap their potential.

Iran hopes Vietnam will create favourable conditions for Iranian businesses to seek investment opportunities in the country, he said.