
Addressingthe event, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade)under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that in the context thatcountries have still closed their borders to prevent the spread of the COVID-19pandemic, the event is an important activity to foster connections amongenterprises of the three countries.
Phusaid he hoped participants would optimise this opportunity to explore eachother’s potential and demand to set up partnership, thus supporting each otherto overcome difficulties for common development.
Vietradeis willing to coordinate with and create favourable conditions for businessesfrom Vietnam, Algeria and Senegal to cooperate in an effective, stable andlong-term manner, said Phu.
Forhis part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria and Senegal Nguyen Thanh Vinh saidthat this is the second trade exchange that has been held since the pandemicbroke out after the first one in November last year, aiming to give a chancefor enterprises of the three countries to meet and exchange.
Heaffirmed that the embassy will accompany businesses of the three countries inexploring each other’s markets and seek cooperation opportunities.
Representativesfrom Algeria and Senegal introduced the potential and cooperation demand of thetwo countries with Vietnam, while proposing measures to further promote mutualunderstanding among the firms and set up partnerships.
Presidentof Algeria’s Organisation of National Economic Development Roubai NasreddineMounir said that the potential market of Algeria is an important gateway forVietnamese enterprise to strengthen investment and trade ties with Algeria inparticular and Africa in general.
VietnameseTrade Councilor in Algeria Hoang Duc Nhuan, who is also in charge of Senegal,Mali, Nigeria, Gambia and Tunisia, introduced the potential of import-exportactivities between Vietnam and Algeria and Senegal, as well as relevantregulations, payment methods and tax policies in the three markets.
Healso called on businesses from Algeria and Senegal to attend upcoming tradeevents in Vietnam such as Vietnam Expo 2021 from April 14-17, and VietnamAutoExpo 2021 from May 20-23.
Vietnam’scustoms statistics showed that trade between Vietnam and Algeria was 150million USD in 2020, a 20 percent decrease from 190 million USD in 2019 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnammostly export coffee, rice, peppercorn, seafood, steel, computers, electronicsand spare parts, and equipment to Algeria, while importing pharmaceuticals,minerals, and animal feed from the country.
Notingthat the results have yet to meet cooperation potential between the two sides,he called on Algerian investors to increase investment in Vietnam, a gateway tothe Asian market and especially a 650-million-strong ASEAN market.
Meanwhile,trade between Vietnam and Senegal was only 95 million USD in 2019./.