According to Le Hai Binh, the Vietnamese president’s upcoming trip will be part of efforts to boost relations between Hanoi and Tehran after coming into force of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a lasting nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
The Vietnamese president will meet his Iranian counterpart President Hassan Rouhani to explore avenues for the expansion of relations in the economic, financial, banking, as well as oil and gas sectors, the spokesperson added.
Iran is the Middle East’s biggest market, while Vietnam is also known as the gateway to Southeast Asia and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), he noted.
Truong Tan Sang’s tour, which will begin on March 9, will also take him to the African nations of Tanzania and Mozambique, the spokesman stated.
Presidents of Iran and Vietnam had already met in April 2015, on the sidelines of Asia-Africa Conference in Indonesia’s Jakarta.
"Tehran is ready to expand its cultural and economic relations with Hanoi," Rouhani noted at the time, urging that the level of bilateral ties should be upgraded.
Tan Sang had also highlighted the need for the expansion of Hanoi-Tehran ties, adding that Hanoi should take big steps to promote its economic cooperation with Tehran.
However, the upcoming visit will be part of a new wave of interests in cooperation with Iran after implementation of the JCPOA, the agreement between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), which took effect on January 16.
The JCPOA has terminated all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, reopened the doors of foreign investment to the country’s market, and prepared the ground for a much-anticipated economic boom.