Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade on February 8 stressed an air route operated by Vietnam's flag carrier Vietnam Airlines between the Southeast Asian country and Azerbaijan would improve connectivity between the two nations.

Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee (right) welcomes new Azerbaijani ambassador Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade on February 8. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The air route will strengthen friendly ties and open more opportunities for further cooperation, he told Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh.

Shovgi praised the friendship between the two nations, which has existed since the days Azerbaijan was a member state of the Soviet Union.

He also said the two governments should hold more cultural activities to tighten the bond between the two peoples, such as inviting Hanoi's artists to perform at Vietnam’s Day in Azerbaijan and organizing Azerbaijani art performances in the capital city.

Shovgi expected that those art shows will bring the people of both nations closer together and improve their mutual understanding.

The Azerbaijani ambassador requested Hanoi's support for Azerbaijani agencies to hold cultural activities on the occasion of the centenary of late President Heydar Aliyev's birth and the 40th anniversary of his first official visit to Vietnam.

Shovgi proposed that Hanoi and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to translate potential opportunities into practical results.

Welcoming the Azerbaijani ambassador's visit, Hanoi Chairman Thanh said the two countries will see their relations improve in the future on the basis of traditional friendship.

He also supported the idea of the two nations opening a direct air route, hoping the idea will come true in the near future.

Thanh said that Hanoi's authorities will work with the Azerbaijani Embassy to find a way to foster Hanoi-Baku cooperation in the fields of culture, art, education and training, tourism, and delegation exchange.

Hanoi welcomes the idea of a Hanoi-Baku Memorandum of Understanding, as suggested by the ambassador, the chairman said, adding that the capital city will do its best to facilitate the embassy's activities to foster the bilateral relationship.