Pakistan and Vietnam agreed on Wednesday to bolster bilateral trade and economic co-operation to the mutual benefit of both the countries.
President General Pervez Musharraf and his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Duc Luong informed journalists after official talks that they have identified areas of mutuality and commonality to further enhance commercial and trade ties.
The visiting leader also informed President Musharraf that Vietnam would open up its diplomatic mission in Islamabad in near future. Welcoming the step, President Musharraf expressed the hope that the Vietnamese mission in Islamabad would prove to be a stepping stone in boosting economic ties.
"Pakistan looks forward to enhancing economic co-operation with Vietnam through increased interaction," Musharraf said.
Reciprocating president's views, Luong said that Vietnam considered Pakistan a very important country in South Asia and was all for tapping the economic potential between the two countries.
"We in South East Asia believe that there is a great scope for close relations with Pakistan, it is our strong desire that the bilateral ties are further developed."
Luong said that direct contacts between the two countries would bring enormous benefits to both the sides.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concerns. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar assisted President Musharraf in official talks.
The Vietnamese president was assisted by his foreign minister and senior officials of trade and economic ministry.
A delegation of businessmen is also accompanying the visiting leader for exploring business opportunities between the two countries.
Earlier, President Musharraf and President Luong held one-on-one talks at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
They discussed ways and means to broaden bilateral economic co-operation and also exchanged views on a host of regional and international issues of common interest.