Sudanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal-Eddin Ismail Saeed is in Hanoi for the last day of his three-day visit to Vietnam that began on February 16 to strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

During his stay, the Sudanese official paid a courtesy call to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and held political consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga.

He also had working sessions with the ministries of Industry and Trade and of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Meeting Kamal-Eddin Ismail Saeed on February 18, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh lauded the visit, describing it as one of the practical activities marking the 45 th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (1969-2014).

The visit contributes to beefing up the friendship and all-round cooperation between Vietnam and Sudan, he underlined.

He said in the future, both sides should exert more efforts to further promote their cooperation to match their potential by increasing delegation exchanges and meetings among businesses.

A direct payment channel should be set up among banks of both sides to boost bilateral import-export activities, he said, stressing the importance of preparations for the first meeting of the Vietnam-Sudan Joint Committee scheduled for April this year in Khartoum.

In order to complete the legal framework for bilateral cooperation, the Deputy PM urged the speeding up of negotiations and signing of important agreements such as those on Double Taxation Avoidance, Investment Encouragement and Protection, banking cooperation and visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders.

Deputy PM Minh also proposed that Sudan create more favourable conditions for the national oil and gas group PetroVietnam and the military-run telecommunications enterprise Viettel to invest in Sudan.

He said that the Vietnamese side is ready to implement the second phase of the joint project to promote the cultivation of rice and a number of other plants in Sudan, which has so far proved effective.

For his part, the official from Sudan said his country attaches much importance to the multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

He suggested that Vietnam continues the cooperation with his country, while sharing its experience in agriculture and acquaculture.

On the occasion, Kamal-Eddin Ismail Saeed informed his host that Sudan will grant 10 Arabian language study scholarships to Vietnamese students.

Sudan supports Vietnam’s candidacy to the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, the diplomat affirmed.

During the political consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga, the two sides reiterated that they will maintain their mutual support at international forums, while further boosting the role that both foreign ministries play in reviewing and stepping up the implementation of signed agreements.

Both sides also agreed on directions and measures to bolster their cooperation in the future, especially in promising areas such as oil and gas, telecommunications, agriculture and footwear.

They also discussed a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern.-VNA