Vietnam and Brazil should look towards other countries to increase levels of co-operation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South American Common Market (Mercosur).

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorin were unanimous in this viewpoint during a meeting on the sidelines of the first ASEAN-Mercosur Foreign Ministerial Meeting that opened in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia on November 24.

After reviewing progress in the implementation of previous agreements signed between the two countries, particularly following Brazilian President Lula Da Silva’s visit to Vietnam in July, the two ministers expressed their pleasure at the dynamic recent developments in their bilateral relationship.

They said they believed that the cooperation between the two nations would develop rapidly in the future, particularly in the areas of economics and trade.

During the meeting, Deputy PM Khiem and the Brazilian foreign minister signed an agreement regarding visa exemption for citizens from the two countries’ who hold official passports.

During the ASEAN-Mercosur Ministerial Meeting, the nations’ ministers discussed a host of regional and international issues, such as the current financial crisis, energy and food security and the WTO’s Doha negotiations, as well as orientations and measures to boost ASEAN-Mercosur co-operation.

They agreed on areas of priority for cooperation, including economics and trade, finance, energy, agriculture, transport and a number of other trans-national challenges.

They also agreed to hold regular ministerial-level meetings to strengthen multilateral cooperation between the two blocs in the near future.

Mercosur is a regional organisation which consists of five members; Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay and Uruguay. (VNA)