• The Minister of International Cooperation affirms the government's keenness to enhance bilateral relations and discusses strengthening South-South Cooperation and relations between the private sectors of both countries.
• The Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam confirms his country's efforts to develop common relations with Egypt and promote partnerships in all fields.
Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, held talks with H.E. Mr. Tran Luu Quang, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, and his accompanying delegation, during his visit to Egypt at the head of a high-level delegation in the first visit of officials from the Vietnamese government since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the meeting, enhancing the common cooperation relations between the two countries in various fields was discussed.
At the beginning of the meeting, Al-Mashat welcomed Quang and his accompanying delegation during their visit to Egypt, during which he will meet many government officials and concerned authorities in Egypt. Al-Mashat affirmed the state of Egypt's aspiration to elevate the common relations between Egypt and Vietnam to broader horizons that reflect the aspirations of both countries towards achieving development and enhancing joint cooperation in various priority areas. The Minister of International Cooperation also noted the active participation of Vietnam in COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh last November.
The Minister explained that this visit reflects the effort to expand the scope of joint work between the two countries in all fields, based on the strength and durability of the relations that began in 1963. H.E. noted that the current visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which presents an opportunity to move towards a new phase based on the development priorities of both countries to enhance economic cooperation, especially in light of the challenges facing all countries in the world.
Al-Mashat pointed out that the strength of relations between the two countries was demonstrated by the visit of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Vietnam as the first visit by an Egyptian president in 2017, followed by the visit of the late President Tran Dai Quang to the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2018. H.E. noted that both visits were a confirmation of the strength and durability of the relations and witnessed the signing of about 17 cooperation documents between the two countries in areas such as investment, tourism, culture, energy, exports, and other vital fields.
Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of the Joint Committee between Egypt and Vietnam, which plays a vital role in enhancing bilateral relations and shaping cooperation between the government and private sectors. The committee has held five sessions from 1997 until 2017. H.E. also mentioned the government's keenness to convene the sixth session of the Joint Committee during this year, confirming the importance of the common relations and enhancing development efforts between the two countries.
The Minister stressed the importance of the relations between the two countries, particularly in terms of South-South cooperation through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and sharing of development experiences, to explore further opportunities for joint cooperation between Egypt and Vietnam.
The Minister also touched on the government's efforts in the field of climate financing and advancing the transition to a green economy, especially in light of its presidency of the United Nations Climate Conference COP27, where the national platform for green projects, the "NWFE" program, was launched, in support of the National Strategy for Climate Change 2050, and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). The platform includes a set of selected projects in the areas of climate mitigation and adaptation, which Egypt benefits from through its strong partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development partners, to support joint cooperation efforts and mobilize climate finance and blended finance for private sector investments.
Al-Mashat indicated that the projects identified under the "NWFE" program cover a range of sectors including water, food, and energy, which are priority areas for Egypt and can provide opportunities for cooperation and investment by the private sector of Vietnam.
For his part, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam expressed his country's keenness to strengthen the frameworks of mutual cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt and to build on the close historical relationship and the development that has taken place in the joint relations between the two countries since the exchange of visits by the leaders of both countries in 2017 and 2018. H.E. pointed out the existence of many opportunities for cooperation to enhance economic relations and increase partnerships and investments by the private sector.
It is worth noting that Egyptian-Vietnamese relations date back to the 1960s, and in 1997 an agreement was signed to form a Joint Committee between the two countries to enhance economic cooperation. Vietnam is also one of the founding members of the AIIB.