The leader of Uruguay has praised the strides made in developingcooperation between the country and Vietnam, with the highlights sofar a framework agreement on trade and investment and a deal on doubletaxation avoidance.

Acting PresidentDanilo Astori voiced his warm sentiment while receiving new VietnameseAmbassador Nguyen Dinh Thao on May 15.

Astorihighlighted the bilateral delegation exchanges which have taken placerecently, with the latest Uruguay visit undertaken by Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Van Ninh resulting in the signing of the two maincooperation documents.

During the December visit,the Uruguayan Government announced its decision to recognise Vietnamas a full market economy.

Ambassador Thao said Vietnam hopes to push all-around cooperation with Uruguay , prioritising trade and investment.

The sound political relations have contributed to moving bilateraltrade ties forward, Thao said, raising statistics from Uruguay’s customsoffice that two-way trade hit over 81.5 million USD last year, thehighest ever recorded, representing a year-on-year rise of 20 percent.

Of the amount, Vietnam ’s exports stood at 27.5million USD, up 14.4 percent, while its imports from the South Americancountry soared 22.7 percent to 54 million USD.

Inaddition to forging political and economic ties, the pair are alsoembracing cultural cooperation to match their potential.

They agreed to continue strengthening bilateral coordination andmutual support at multilateral forums and international organisationslike the United Nations in the future.-VNA