President of Côte d’Ivoire's National Assembly Adama Bictogo. (Photo: quochoi.vn) The visit, made at an invitation of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, is the first by a senior leader of the West African country to the Southeast Asian nation since the two set up their diplomatic ties 48 years ago.
Over the past years, the two sides have exchanged measures to deepen the relationship, especially through increasing contacts and exchanging delegations at all levels, and effectively implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire have regularly coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the International Organisation of the Francophonie.
They have also signed many cooperation documents such as a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries in May 2014, and an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders on April 18, 2017.
Since 2015, bilateral trade has increased rapidly. Côte d’Ivoire is Vietnam's second largest trade partner in Africa and Vietnam's fourth largest export market in the continent with a turnover of 1.04 billion USD in 2022.
The Vietnamese community in Côte d’Ivoire has about 300 people, of whom 50% are permanent residents. There are nearly 1,000 small traders trading cashew nuts between the two countries.
On November 21, 2022, then Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet (second from right) receives President of the General Confederation of Enterprises of Cote d'Ivoire Jean-Marie Ackah. (Photo: baoquocte.vn) During his stay, Adama Bictogo is expected to have talks and meetings with Vietnamese leaders where they will evaluate measures to increase bilateral trade turnover to be commensurate with the great potential of each country in a more balanced direction, and discuss ways to improve the efficiency of signed agreements and promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The two countries’ leaders will seek ways to facilitate the Vietnamese community in Côte d’Ivoire, have specific guidelines and measures to protect legitimate rights and interests, and ensure a safe and secure environment for Vietnamese people living in the West African country.
Regarding parliamentary collaboration, the two sides will exchange views on how to further strengthen cooperation in parliamentary diplomacy, step up delegation exchanges, and share experience in organising related activities./.
VNA
