ISLAMABAD, March 25: Pakistan and Vietnam on Thursday agreed to boost economic and trade ties and work together in areas of education, health, agriculture and science and technology.

A wide range of issues were covered during an hour-long talks between Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong here at the PM house.

The two sides called for measures to encourage private investors from both the countries to initiate joint investment ventures and to exchange trade delegations.

Prime Minister Jamali and the Vietnamese president also had a fifteen-minute exclusive meeting. They were later joined by their aides. Mr Luong said that there was a wide scope of cooperation between the two countries in commerce, transportation, civil aviation, maritime transport and health.

He was also appreciative of Pakistan's achievements in science and technology and desired to learn from its experience. He said Vietnam can provide motorcycles, tea and edible oil to Pakistan. He evinced interest in importing cotton, leather and linen from Pakistan.

He said the trade between the two countries "has risen from 10 million dollars annually to 50 million dollars," but there was still a great scope of enhancing it further.

Mr Luong said Vietnam looked forward to "a closer, comprehensive friendship" with Pakistan. During the visit of President General Pervez Musharraf in May 2001 the two countries had agreed to enhance cooperation in all sectors with particular emphasis on boosting trade and economy, he recalled.

Prime Minister Jamali said the government was pursuing the economic policies of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to further strengthen the country's economy. He said trade delegations needed to be facilitated for strengthening economic and trade ties.

He said the two countries "can exchange scholarships" in science and technology. He also noted the scope in promotion of tourism. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in maintaining peace and stability in South East Asia and South Asia.

In a joint statement issued after the formal talks, the two leaders also agreed to establish a Pakistan-Vietnam Business Forum to accelerate two-way trade and business interaction. -APP