At a meeting with South African Ambassador Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro, President Quang expressed his hope that the diplomat would make constructive contributions to the friendship between Vietnam and South Africa.
The leader used the occasion to extend his congratulations to South Africa on the successful organisation of the presidential election and Cyril Ramaphosa on his win in the election.
The host said he believes that under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Government and people would reap further achievements in national construction and development.
Vietnam always treasures the traditional friendship and the “partnership for cooperation and development” with South Africa, President Quang stressed.
He suggested that the two countries join hands in organising pragmatic activities marking the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 100th birth anniversary of President Nelson Mandela in 2018, as well as promptly organising the fourth Vietnam-South Africa Inter-Governmental Partnership Forum in Pretoria.
The President stressed that Vietnam highly values South Africa’s role as an economic force in Africa as well as its role and influence in multilateral organisations and forums such as the UN, the African Alliance, the Non-Aligned Movement, the group of 20 developing nations (G20), the group of emerging economies, which comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), and the South African Development Community.
He also praised South Africa’s efforts to promote peace and cooperation in the region and the world as a whole.
Mentioning the trade cooperation between the two countries, President Quang urged the ambassador to pay attention to promoting bilateral economic, trade and investment ties, and their affiliation in mining, education, tourism, natural resources and environment, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
In reply, the South African ambassador pledged that he will make concerted efforts to maintain and enhance the bilateral relationship, heeding the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries.
Noting Vietnam’s important role and position in the international arena, the diplomat said that South Africa pays due attention to stepping up its cooperation with Vietnam at multilateral forums and international organisations.
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President Tran Dai Quang receives Egyptian Ambassador Mahmoud Hassan Neyel. (Photo: VNA)
At the reception for Egyptian Ambassador Mahmoud Hassan Neyel, President Quang expressed his belief that with his experience and pro-activeness, the diplomat would make significant contributions to fostering the Vietnam-Egypt ties.
President Quang conveyed his greetings to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Ah Sisi, while recalling the positive memories of Abdel Fattah Ah Sisi’s visit to Vietnam in 2017. He hoped that Egypt would have a successful election in March, 2018, a significant event in the northeast Asian nation.
Speaking highly of their bilateral cooperation at multilateral and international forums, he thanked Egypt for supporting Vietnam’s candidacies for the United Nations (UN)’ agencies, particularly the country released diplomatic notes endorsing Vietnam’s application to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.
Regarding the bilateral ties, President Quang expressed his wish that Mahmoud Hassan Neyel would work to boost delegation exchanges to fortify the friendship and mutual understanding.
Also, he recommended that the Egyptian Ambassador works to increase the two-way trade value to US$1 billion as set by leaders of both sides, hoping that Egypt would help Vietnam to build a set of Halal food standards used in the country, laying a foundation for exports to the Muslim markets.
Cooperation should be deepened in sport or art education via scholarship programmes and short-term training course to enhance people-to-people exchanges, he suggested.
Ambassador Mahmoud Hassan Neyel, for his part, said that the Egyptian President expects to welcome President Tran Dai Quang on his state visit to his country, saying that the trip will create a strong impetus for the cooperative ties between the two nations.
Egypt wants to learn from Vietnam’s experience in socio-economic development, he said, adding that he will focus on promoting two-way trade and facilitating conditions for Vietnamese goods to enter the EU and African markets.
