Hanoi (VNA) - State President Luong Cuong on April 16 welcomed Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali who is paying an official visit to Vietnam and attending the 4th Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit.

At the meeting, President Cuong expressed his confidence that PM Abiy's visit will usher in a new chapter of more substantive and effective friendly cooperation between the two countries.

He noted his admiration for Ethiopia as the oldest independent nation in Africa and praised its recent achievements, highlighting Ethiopia's position as an economic growth model, the largest economy in East Africa, and its growing position and reputation in Africa and worldwide.

Sharing Vietnam's development journey, President Cuong recounted how the country has transformed itself from a war-torn nation into the world's 32nd largest economy, maintaining diplomatic relations with 194 countries. He underscored Vietnam's determination to become an upper-middle-income country with modern industry by 2030, and a developed, high-income nation by 2045.

PM Abiy, for his part, stressed that Vietnam has been a trustworthy friend of the Ethiopian people, expressing his impression on the country's comprehensive and great achievements in socioeconomic development and growing international standing.

He briefed President Cuong on Ethiopia's socio-economic progress and emphasised that his visit demonstrates Ethiopia's determination to strengthen and develop multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

To leverage both countries' potential, the leaders agreed to increase high-level delegation exchanges across all channels and effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

President Cuong suggested relevant agencies actively negotiate to promptly sign agreements and complete the legal framework facilitating the bilateral cooperation, particularly in such promising areas as agriculture, mining, electronics, telecommunications, and digital transformation.

PM Abiy highly valued Vietnam's agricultural strengths, hoping that Vietnam will share experience and support Ethiopia in this sector, contributing to the country's sustainable food security.

President Cuong welcomed Ethiopian Airlines’ plan to launch a new route from Addis Ababa to Hanoi in July.

The two sides concurred to bolster coordination, cooperation, and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially at the UN and developing countries' forums, while promoting relations with important organisations where they are members, such as ASEAN and the African Union.

On this occasion, President Cuong asked PM Abiy to convey his invitation to Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie to pay an official visit to Vietnam./.