Pretoria (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Nguyen Trong Kien officially presented his credentials from President To Lam to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria on November 13.
At the ceremony, Kien expressed his honour at assuming the new position and conveyed the greetings and best wishes from President Lam and other high-level Vietnamese leaders to President Ramaphosa and the people of South Africa.
The diplomat affirmed that the peoples of the two countries have always cherished and supported each other during the past struggles for national liberation and against colonialism and apartheid, as well as in their current efforts to build and develop their respective countries.
He pledged to work closely with the South African Government, agencies, organisations and people during his tenure to continuously strengthen strategic trust and mutual understanding.
His priorities will include promoting the Vietnam–South Africa Strategic Partnership in a more substantive and effective manner and translating shared commitments into concrete outcomes in areas of mutual interest, thus bringing practical benefits to both peoples, Kien said.
He expressed his confidence that with the close attention and guidance of President Ramaphosa and high-level leaders of both countries, the traditional friendship and strategic collaboration between Vietnam and South Africa will continue to grow, opening up new opportunities for breakthroughs in the years ahead.
President Ramaphosa warmly welcomed the ambassador and wished him a successful tenure in South Africa, noting that he personally holds Vietnam in high regard and has fond impressions of the Southeast Asian country.
Addressing ambassadors from 15 countries who presented their credentials on the same day, the host leader pledged that the South African Government will provide favourable conditions for the diplomats to fulfil their missions successfully. He called on them to work closely with local authorities to promote bilateral relations, with priority given to projects supporting economic growth, industrial development, job creation and technology transfer./.
VNA
