Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev and Vietnam's deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai have vowed to strengthen ties in a number of fields during a state meeting organised by the Azerbaijani government.

"We boast a lot of potential for development so it is essential to create joint investment projects and propose measures to increase the turnover of two-way trade," said Mr Ilham, following a meeting with Mr Hai.

The Vietnamese statesman also met with executives from Azerbaijan's state oil firm SOCAR to explore opportunities for collaboration in areas such as training, exploration and processing.

Mr Hai commented that bilateral agreements would help both countries to strengthen their national oil and gas industries and bolster their economies.

Last year, SOCAR invited international tenders for a contract to establish a new corporate energy data bank and train staff in IT skills to maintain the new information system, in a move designed to boost the skills base of local workers.

Getenergy for Russia & CIS, 19th – 20th May 2010 - Moscow