Vietnam hopes for stronger cooperation with Cameroon hinh anh 1Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong (left) and Cameroon Prime Minister  Joseph Dion Ngute (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA)
– Vietnam wants to further develop the fruitful friendship and cooperation with Cameroon in areas where both nations have strength such as agriculture, telecoms and energy, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong has said.

Cuong expressed the wish during his visit to Cameroon from May 6-7 in his capacity as the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s Special Envoy.

He met with Prime Minister  Joseph Dion Ngute to hand over PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s letter to the Cameroon leader, and paid a courtesy visit to House Speaker of the National Assembly Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and First Vice President of the Senate Lamido Aboubakary Abdoulaye  

Cuong also had working sessions with the Cameroon Ministers of Foreign Affairs; Posts and Telecommunications; Justice; and Employment and Vocational Training.

At the meetings, Cuong thanked the Cameroon side for its support for Vietnam’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.

The Cameroon leaders spoke highly of cooperation between the two countries over the past years and called for more Vietnamese investments in the West African nation.

The Cameroon Government will make efforts to address difficulties facing foreign investors, including those from Vietnam, and protect their legitimate interests, they pledged.

The two sides talked about the operation of Viettel Cameroon SA Joint Venture, saying the two governments will work to help remove difficulties facing the joint venture.

They agreed to increase high-level visits, soon complete the ratification of the cooperation framework agreement between the two countries, and push ahead with negotiations on agreements on investment encouragement and protection, and double-tax avoidance.

Cameroon is one of Vietnam’s 10 biggest trade partners in Africa, with two-way trade reaching 219.7 million USD in 2018.

Vietnam is carrying out direct investment projects in Cameroon with total investment capital exceeding 1 billion USD in the fields of telecommunications, hydroelectricity and cement.

The two countries are considering the enhancement of agricultural collaboration in the time ahead.-VNA
VNA