Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The two-day second Joint Commission (JC) meeting between Bangladesh and Vietnam begins on Saturday in the capital Dhaka for discussion on issues to push forward political and bilateral cooperation.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith will head the Bangladesh delegation while Industries and Commerce Minister of Vietnam Vu Huy Hoang will lead the Vietnamese delegation in the meeting to be held at the NEC-2 in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka.
The first meeting of the Bangladesh-Vietnam Joint Commission was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on February 6-7, 2006 with the Bangladesh Delegation led by the then Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman.
During that meeting, the two countries agreed to further strengthen cooperation in political, security, defense, economy, trade and investment, information-communication, and agriculture sectors.
Apart from political cooperation, the Joint Commission meeting that begins Saturday will highlight issues related to promotion of bilateral trade and commercial relations between the two countries as well as industrial cooperation and joint venture, a senior official said.
He also said the meeting will also focus on various issues of agriculture, fisheries and livestock sector, water resources, education, telecommunication, cultural, science and technology, human resource development, shipping, health, youth and sports, media and information, and civil aviation and tourism.
Meanwhile, a joint press briefing will be held on Sunday at 2:00 pm at the NEC-2 to reveal the outcome of the two-day meet.
The relations between Dhaka and Hanoi got a fresh momentum when 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a visit to Vietnam on November 2-4, 2012. 
The Vietnamese Minister is also expected to discuss with the government high-ups the issues that were discussed during Hasina’s visit to Vietnam last November.
During her visit, Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam and other high-ups of the country.
At the end of Hasina’s visit, Vietnam and Bangladesh released a joint communiqué, affirming their determination to bring bilateral relations to a new height.
The two countries also agreed to organise the first political consultation between the two Foreign Ministers at an early date to review and set out directions for bilateral cooperation in the coming years.
Besides, during that visit, Bangladesh and Vietnam also inked four agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in the fields of fisheries and livestock, in agriculture, in promoting trade and to establish Business Councils by both the countries.
 
BBN/SSR/AD-05Apr13-7:00 pm (BST)