Vietnamese embassy in South Africa shows strong performance as APC Chair in 2020
Pretoria (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in South
Africa successfully completed its role as Chair of the ASEAN Pretoria Committee (APC) in 2020, contributing to promoting the
partnership between ASEAN and South Africa and Africa in general.
Addressing a ceremony in Pretoria on February 8 to take the
role of APC Chair from Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi,
Indonesian Ambassador Salman Al Farisi lauded the activeness of Vietnam as the
APC Chair in 2020.
He said that Ambassador Loi received the role from Thailand
when South Africa was experiencing severe impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on aspects of life as well as operations of foreign
representative offices.
Despite difficulties, the Vietnamese diplomat applied
operation methods to adapt to the reality, he noted, adding that Ambassador Loi
regularly contacted with APC members and the Department of International
Relations and Cooperation
(DIRCO) to exchange information on the situation in South Africa and Africa and
share experience in COVID-19 prevention and control as well as promote
cooperation among parties and optimise opportunities from the African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Vietnamese Embassy played the role as a bridge linking
the DIRCO and the Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry in preparing for South Africa to
join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
Under the chair of Vietnam – the ASEAN Chair 2020, South
Africa, along with Colombia and Cuba, signed the agreement to join the TAC,
opening opportunities on broader and deeper cooperation in politics, economy,
socio-culture between ASEAN and the countries.
Ambassador Loi coordinated with other APC members to
organise the ASEAN Golf Day in late November 2020 to boost cultural and sport
exchange between the APC and local authorised agencies, he noted.
Ambassador Salman Al Farisi hailed the achievements that
Vietnam has made as the ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the UN Security
Council, contributing to strengthening the common voice of ASEAN
in the international arena, dealing with challenges of the region in a timely
manner, and helping to build a Southeast Asian region of peace, solidarity and
prosperity.
Ambassador Loi said that in 2020 when South Africa performed the role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the President of
the African Union, Vietnam and South Africa coordinated closely at regional and
international forums for the common interest of the international community,
Africa and Asia.
The Vietnamese and Indonesian ambassadors agreed to continue
exchanging information and experience to help Indonesia fulfil the APC Chair
role in 2021.
Earlier on January 27, ASEAN ambassadors in South Africa had
an online meeting to evaluate the performance of the committee in 2020 and
sketch out plan for 2021./.