Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Basile Ikouebe announced his Government’s official recognition of Vietnam’s full market economy status during his talks with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on October 29.

He voiced his hope that Congolese President Denis Sassou N’guesso will pay an official visit to Vietnam in 2014. He also showed his expectations for the organisation of the Vietnam-Congo Intergovernmental Committee’s meeting next year, and the starting of negotiations on important bilateral cooperative agreements in economics, education, agro-forestry, oil and gas.

Minister Basile Ikouebe is on an official visit to Vietnam. This is the first visit to Vietnam made by a Congolese minister since the two countries established diplomatic ties on July 16, 1964.

For his part, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to boosting cooperation with African countries, including the Republic of Congo.

During the talks, host and guest reviewed the bilateral cooperation between the two countries over the past time and reached consensus on concrete measures to implement the linkage in various areas.

Both held that the solidarity, traditional friendship and the effective coordination between Vietnam and Congo at the United Nations, the Francophone as well as regional and international forums will serve as a firm political foundation to promote their cooperative ties in the coming time.

They also used the occasion to compare notes on several issues of regional and international concern.-VNA