Hanoi (VNA)– The first deputy foreign minister-level political consultation betweenVietnam and El Salvador took place in Hanoi on August 28, aiming to seek measuresto foster the partnership between the two countries and their foreignministries.

Co-chairing the event,Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and his Al Salvador counterpart CarlosCastanedaagreed to continue maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of theconsultation between the two ministries.

The two sides willsupport Vietnamese and El Salvador enterprises to access each other’s marketand set up direct partnerships, contributing to raising two-way trade.

They agreed on thehuge cooperation potential between the two countries, especially in education,transportation, oil and gas, construction materials, agro-fishery productionand processing.

Vietnam and ElSalvador will continue implementing the signed agreementsand speeding upnegotiations for other deals in transportation, technology, education, scienceand culture to continue completing the legal framework for bilateralcollaboration.

The two sides also sharedviews on many international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Later the same day, DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh hosted a reception for DeputyForeign Minister Carlos Castaneda.

Minh expressed hispleasure with the fruitful outcomes of the first political consultation betweenthe Foreign Ministries of the two countries, as well as the growing friendship betweenVietnam and El Salvador, particularly between the Communist Party of Vietnamand the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front.

Lauding El Salvador’sopening of the Consulate Office in Ho Chi Minh City, the Deputy PM said he hopesthat the two countries will continue working closely with and support eachother at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially theUnited Nations and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

On the occasion, Minhconveyed the Vietnamese leaders’ invitations to El Salvador President SanchezCeren and Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez Bonilla to visit Vietnam.

For his part, CarlosCastanedaspoke highly of Vietnam’s comprehensive renewal achievements over thepast more than three decades, noting that his ministry wishes to contributemore to boosting all-round ties with the Southeast Asian country.

Within the frameworkof the visit from August 28-29, El Salvado Deputy Foreign Minister CarlosCastaneda also had meetings with Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and TourismVuongDuy Bien, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh and Vice Presidentof the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Don Tuan Phong.

He is scheduled tovisit Ho Chi Minh City, where he will hold a seminar with local firms andlaunch the El Salvador Honourary Consulate Office in the city.-VNA