Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman left for Vietnam Sunday to attend the first meeting of the joint Bangladesh- Vietnam Commission beginning in Hanoi today (Monday), reports UNB. His visit is aimed at boosting bilateral economic cooperation, especially in agriculture where Vietnam has recorded remarkable achievements by applying state-of-the-art technologies, officials said. The meeting is being held as a follow-up to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit to Vietnam from May 17-19 last year at the invitation of her Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Khai. During the three-day visit, the two leaders had agreed on efforts to make sustainable cooperation between the two countries and set a target of US$100 million for bilateral trade by 2008. They also agreed to activate and hold the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Economics, Culture, and Science and Technology in order to work out the roadmap for bilateral cooperation in all fields. Bangladesh and Vietnam signed a document to establish a commission in 1997. During the first joint commission meeting, both sides would discuss aviation issues, particularly air services between the two countries. The joint commission will sign an agreed minutes on the concluding day. On the sidelines, Saifur Rahman is scheduled to meet Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister today and to visit Hanoi Trade Corporation tomorrow (Tuesday). On his way back home, the finance minister will also visit Malaysia to open Agrani Remittance House Thursday. He is scheduled to return home on February 11. During Khaleda Zia's visit to Vietnam, the two countries had agreed that there is ample scope for increasing the present volume of bilateral trade by harnessing untapped potential.
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