Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Liberia signed a joint communiqué establishing bilateral diplomatic ties during a ceremony in Hanoi on June 28.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Liberian Ambassador to China D. McKinley Thomas said Liberia wants to promote bilateral cooperation, thus laying a foundation to enhance its economic integration in the region and the world.
He said a number of Vietnamese agricultural engineers, scholars and scientists have worked with Liberian partners, adding that most rice consumed by Liberian people is imported from Vietnam.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam said the event will open up economic and trade collaboration opportunities, and wished that Vietnam-Liberia ties will further progress.
He described agriculture and telecommunications as promising fields in which Vietnam could invest in the West African country.
With an area of 110,000 sq.km and a population of nearly 4.2 million recorded last year, Liberia is rich in water and mineral resources, forests and climate favourable for agriculture. It also has strengths in maritime and mineral mining.
With the signing, Vietnam has so far formed diplomatic ties with 53 African countries and 187 others worldwide.-VNA