Hanoi (VNA) –Cameroon Foreign Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella has affirmed that Cameroonhopes to bolster cooperation with Vietnam in trade, investment, agriculture,education, green energy, and telecommunications.

During talks with DeputyPrime Minister and Minister Pham Binh Minh as part of his ongoing visit to Vietnamfrom December 27-30, Lejeune Mbella Mbella said that his country is willing tohelp bridge collaboration between Vietnam and members of the Economic and MonetaryCommunity of Central Africa (CEMAC).

He lauded the effectivenessof Vietnamese-invested projects in Cameroon, including a joint venture betweenthe military telecommunications group Viettel and a local firm which hedescribed as a symbol of successful affiliation between the two countries.

He proposed the increase ofcoordination among localities of the two countries, as well as the organizationof trade promotion programmes and the exchange of training courses andscholarships.

The Cameroon Ministry ofExternal Affairs will ask the President to approve the coverage of thecountry’s Ambassador to China over Vietnam and the appointment of a honouraryambassador of Vietnam in Cameroon, and create favourable conditions for theimplementation of joint rice development projects in the form of public-privatepartnership.

Deputy PM and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh suggested the two foreign ministries work closelytogether to accelerate a Vietnam visit by the Cameroon President in 2018, andconclude negotiations for agreements on investment encouragement and protectionand double-tax avoidance, and another deal on cooperation in industry andpromoting Vietnam’s exports to Cameroon.

Minh asked the Cameroon sideto back Vietnamese investors in the country.

Cameroon currently ranks the12th out of 72 destinations of Vietnamese investors, with fourprojects totalling 270 million USD. Tow-way trade between the two sides hasreached about 200 million USD, mostly from Vietnam’s imports of materials fromCameroon.

During his stay, theCameroon Foreign Minister also paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc and met Chairman of the President’s Office Dao Viet Trung to handover a letter of Cameroon President Paul Biya to President Tran Dai Quang. Healso held a meeting with Vietnamese firms investing in Cameroon.

On the occasion, the twocountries signed a framework agreement in bilateral cooperation, another onvisa exemption for those holding diplomatic and official passports, and amemorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two ForeignMinistries.-VNA