Hanoi to back Dhaka's bid to join ARF

Hanoi to back Dhaka's bid to join ARF

BANGLADESH: Vietnam on Monday said it would back Bangladesh's bid
to join the top security grouping in the Asia-Pacific region, a
Bangladesh foreign ministry official said.

The official spoke soon after Vietnam President Tran Duc Luong
arrived in Dhaka for his maiden visit to Bangladesh aimed at
expanding bilateral trade.

"During talks, Vietnam President Luong told (Bangladesh) Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia that his country will back Bangladesh's
efforts to join the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)," Foreign
Secretary Shamsul Mobin Chowdhury told reporters.

He said the Vietnamese leader was of the view that "Bangladesh
is an important player in South Asia and as a member of SAARC
(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) can help
developing inter-regional ties."

Bangladesh is seeking to enter the forum as the first step to
becoming a dialog partner of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN).

Chowdhury said the two countries also signed three agreements
on avoiding double taxation, agricultural and cultural
cooperation.-- AFP