At a press brief on President Luong Cuong's State visit to Egypt and Angola, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son answered the press about the outstanding results of this visit.
The Deputy Prime Minister declared the visit a resounding success, stating that all goals were achieved. President Luong Cuong's extensive and effective working programs in both Egypt and Angola produced substantial results.
Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son revealed that both Egypt and Angola have expressed their commitment to facilitating market access for several of Vietnam’s key products, creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest, conduct business, and foster cooperation in developing the Halal industry-an economic sector compliant with Islamic law - with Egypt, as well as exploring potential oil and gas projects in Angola.
Both nations have also agreed to elevate bilateral trade to a target of US$1 billion. Egypt has expressed readiness to advance negotiations for a free trade agreement with Vietnam and to establish a Vietnam-Egypt Business Council. These initiatives will significantly enhance Vietnam’s access to the vast African market, comprising 1.5 billion people.
Additionally, partners have responded enthusiastically to Vietnam’s proposals for collaboration in innovation, green transformation, digital transformation, climate change response, clean energy, oil and gas, mining, and the Halal industry.
Most notably, a new framework for Vietnam’s relationships with regional countries has been established. The Vietnam-Egypt Comprehensive Partnership marks Vietnam’s first such framework in the African region. The visit also set the foundation for building a cooperative partnership for mutual development between Vietnam and Angola, aiming to serve as a model for regional collaboration.
In addition to the joint statements issued between Vietnam and Egypt, and Vietnam and Angola, numerous significant cooperation agreements were signed in the fields of economy, trade, investment, defense, security, peacekeeping, justice, prisoner transfer, prosecution, television, agriculture, and local cooperation. These agreements provide a robust framework for advancing positive developments in Vietnam’s relations with Egypt and Angola in the years ahead.
According to him, the implementation of commitments and agreements is of paramount importance. In the forthcoming period, Vietnam needs to enhance coordination with Egypt and Angola to advance and operationalize the outcomes achieved, particularly by formulating an Action Plan to implement the Vietnam-Egypt Comprehensive Partnership framework. Both nations have agreed to convene a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee in 2025 to solidify the results of recent engagements.
Furthermore, Vietnam should promptly establish and operationalize new cooperation mechanisms while strengthening the efficacy of existing ones. Concurrently, efforts will be intensified to foster coordination among the Government, businesses, citizens, and between central and local authorities to fully leverage agreements concluded with other nations.
With respect to Egypt, Vietnam should prioritize maximizing cooperation in the development of the Halal industry, tourism, textiles, and education, with a particular emphasis on fulfilling the Prime Minister’s commitment to increasing scholarships for Vietnamese students. Regarding Angola, Vietnam should adopt decisive measures to advance collaboration in energy, mining, agriculture, and banking, while continuing to promote the deployment of Vietnamese experts in education, training, and health, alongside cooperation in defense and security.
Vietnamese ministries, agencies, localities, and enterprises are urged to proactively engage with Egyptian and Angolan counterparts to address and resolve impediments to economic cooperation. Efforts should focus on facilitating greater market access for each other’s goods and agricultural products, with the objective of achieving a bilateral trade turnover of $1 billion with each country and pursuing a free trade agreement or bilateral trade agreement with Egypt in the near future.
