Kazakhstan opens embassy in Vietnam

Kazakh ambassador to Vietnam, Beketzhan Zhumahanov met with the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on the occasion of opening the embassy in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. "The parties discussed the status and prospects for bilateral and multilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. They expressed interest in further strengthening the cooperation in various spheres," the ministry said. Vietnam's foreign minister stressed the great prospects for developing the trade and economic cooperation, as well as creating a free trade zone between Vietnam and the Customs Union, the Kazakh ministry said. During the meeting, Zhumahanov conveyed the personal message of Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov to Pham Binh Minh about nominating Kazakhstan's candidacy for the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018.