Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Le Minh Hung welcomed Angolan Minister of External Relations Téte António on his first official visit to Vietnam at a reception for the latter in Hanoi on June 3.
PM Hung highly evaluated Angola’s role, standing, and influence in Africa, and stressed the historical significance of the Vietnam visit 55 years ago by President of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola Agostinho Neto.
Vietnam always treasures the traditional and fraternal relations between the two parties and countries, he said.
Delighted at the positive strides in the bilateral ties in recent years, he urged both sides to step up high-level, ministry-level and sectoral exchanges, share development know-how, enhance collaboration between the ruling parties, and sustain mutual support at multilateral forums.
Congratulating Angola on successfully assuming the 2025 Chairmanship of the African Union (AU), he wished that Angola would serve as a bridge to drive substantive cooperation between Vietnam and the AU, and affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to act as Angola’s gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On economic cooperation, the PM suggested the Angolan Government continue supporting the Vietnam National Industry – Energy Group (Petrovietnam) and Vietnamese enterprises operating in Angola.
He called for accelerating talks towards signing key trade and investment agreements, including an investment promotion and protection deal and a double taxation avoidance pact, to lay a solid foundation for collaboration, diversify export-import structures, and revive traditional cooperation in the fields of education, healthcare and agriculture, and others.
PM Hung further requested Angola to maintain enabling conditions for Vietnamese enterprises and the Vietnamese community, helping them contribute to both nations’ development.
António, in reply, praised Vietnam’s impressive development achievements and thanked the country for its invaluable support during Angola’s anti-colonial and national liberation struggle.
He said Angola wants Vietnam to remain a partner in its new development phase, with broad cooperation in the spheres of agriculture, mining, and mineral processing.
The minister endorsed the cooperation orientations laid out by the PM, and affirmed that the two foreign ministries would work closely together to pave the way for high-level exchanges in the coming time./.
