OREANDA-NEWS. On August 22, 2008 Vietnam and Uzbekistan have agreed to promote bilateral co-operation on oil and gas exploration in order to sign a contract on oil and gas exploration in Uzbekistan and transfer coal-to-liquid technology.

The agreement was reached at the two-day second meeting of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Co-operation which closed in Hanoi, officials announced at a press conference.

Uzbekistan said it is willing to provide Vietnam with cotton and cotton fibre on a long-term and stable manner, Vietnam's Nhan Dan Online reported.

The two sides also reached a consensus to soon build and sign an agreement on visa exemption on Vietnamese citizens with diplomatic passports.

In agriculture, Vietnam and Uzbekistan agreed to sign an agreement on the quarantine of plants and an agreement on agricultural co-operation.

During the meeting, the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries signed a co-operation agreement and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group and Uzbekistan's State oil and gas company Uzbeneftegaz signed an agreement on oil and gas co-operation.

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Le Danh Vinh, deputy minister of industry and trade and president of the Vietnam sub-committee of the Uzbekistan Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Co-operation while the Uzbekistan delegation was headed by N. Najimov, first deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade and president of the Uzbekistan sub-committee.

During their working visit to Vietnam, the Uzbekistan delegation had working sessions with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, Vietnam Airlines, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the associations of garment and textiles and footwear and visited Tien Son Industrial Park in northern Bac Ninh province to discuss bilateral co-operation of mutual concern.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and Uzbekistan stood at USD 6 million in 2007 which is said yet to tap the potential of both countries.

Currently, Vietnam imports cotton, fibre, machinery, equipment and fertiliser from Uzbekistan and exports footwear, garments and textiles, seafood and others to the central Asian country.