Cairo (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang has paid a courtesy call to Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdelatty and co-chaired the 10th political consultation between the two foreign ministries, as part of her working trip to Egypt from November 28-29.

At the meeting, the two sides noted that the cooperative relationship has made positive strides, especially in economy, trade, and investment, with more Vietnamese businesses showing interest and making investment in the Egyptian market.

Abdelatty praised Vietnam's socio-economic achievements and expressed a strong desire to further strengthen ties, particularly in economy, trade, and investment, as well as intergovernmental cooperation, partnerships between government and businesses, and business-to-business engagement. Describing the Vietnam-Egypt partnership as "special", he called for deeper, more dynamic cooperation across various fields.

Highlighting Egypt's 115-million-strong market and its strategic position for accessing larger markets such as Europe, Africa, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), he encouraged Vietnamese enterprises to explore and seize investment opportunities here.

Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheen expressed high expectations for expanded trade and investment cooperation. He encouraged Vietnamese businesses to transfer technology, foster collaboration, and capitalise on Egypt's investment incentives and opportunities.

For her part, the Vietnamese diplomat highlighted the over-60-year history of Vietnam-Egypt relations, which has seen Egypt becoming a leading African partner of Vietnam. She suggested that the two sides continue to promote comprehensive cooperation in all fields and called for efforts to strengthen political trust, promote mutual visits by high-ranking leaders of the two countries to bring bilateral cooperation to new heights. She also underlined the need to speed up collaboration in new areas such as Halal products, renewable energy (solar, wind, and green hydrogen), food security, construction, and fisheries.

Acknowledging the two countries’ similarities in economic and population scale, Hang urged efforts to support businesses in expanding investments and operations. She proposed enhancing connectivity between business communities, sharing information on cooperation opportunities, and promoting mutual market access for key exports. Additionally, she suggested exploring the possibility of negotiating a free trade agreement to create a legal framework for advancing bilateral cooperation.

The two sides discussed plans to organise the 6th meeting of the Vietnam-Egypt Joint Committee and the 3rd meeting of the subcommittee on industry and trade. They agreed to accelerate negotiations for the signing of the agreement on double taxation advoidance, the updating of the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between their chambers of commerce and industry.

Regarding regional and international issues, both sides expressed deep concern about the Middle East conflict. They called for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring uninterrupted humanitarian aid in Gaza. They emphasised that a two-state solution, which includes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the border prior to 1967, is the foundation for just and lasting peace in the region.

On the East Sea issue, Hang urged Egypt to support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s stance on resolving disputes through peaceful means, in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

💛 Both sides underscored the importance of multilateralism and adherence to international law. They consented to continue the tradition of friendship and mutual support at regional and international platforms, promoting peace, cooperation, and development in their respective regions and the world./.