Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc hasaffirmed the traditional solidarity between Vietnam and Africancountries in the past struggle for independence and the currentcooperation for development.

The DeputyMinister made the statement at the ministerial-level Asian-Africanmeeting that took place in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta onApril 20 to discuss ways to increase cooperation between the twocontinents.

He agreed that it is necessary tomaintain Bandung principles, especially of respecting nationalsovereignty and territorial integrity, not using force, not exertingpressuren, and solving international disputes through peaceful measuresdictated by international law.

The DeputyMinister recommended increasing connections and ensuring freedom,safety, and security of navigation and aviation to boost economicexchanges.

The meeting was also an occasion fordelegates to review preparations for the Asia-Africa Summit, the 60thanniversary of the Bandung Meeting and the 10th anniversary of theAsian-African Partnership from April 22-24.

Meeting participants agreed that Asian and African countries are facingcommon issues of instability, conflicts, poverty and climate change.

Participating countries emphasised the need toshare experiences and promote South-South cooperation for developmentand prosperity alongside each country’s own efforts.

They also underscored that to maintain peace, stability and development, countries must conform to Bandung 1955 principles.-VNA