Phnom Penh (VNA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung held meetings with Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire Nialé Kaba, Angola’s Foreign Minister Téte Antonio, and Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella on November 15 on the sidelines of the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
At the meetings, Trung affirmed that Vietnam values its relations with African countries and wishes to expand cooperation with them. He highlighted their development achievements and shared aspirations and common development interests.
He proposed stepping up high-level exchanges and cooperation in agriculture, mining, trade and investment, while expanding collaboration in other strategic areas, including telecommunications, digital transformation, civil infrastructure, seaports and electric vehicles.
He also called on the countries to facilitate Vietnamese businesses operating or seeking investment opportunities in Africa through favourable institutional, legal and policy frameworks, infrastructure and payment mechanisms. Vietnam stands ready to serve as a bridge for African countries to strengthen ties with ASEAN and Asia-Pacific nations, while promoting coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations and the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
At his meeting with Kaba, Trung affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Côte d'Ivoire, which was Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Africa in 2025.
Kaba expressed her admiration for Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and voiced her desire to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation, particularly in agriculture.
The two ministers pledged to facilitate business connections and market access, aiming to achieve sustainable growth in bilateral trade. Vietnam also expressed its readiness to share experience, transfer technology and enhance cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire in agricultural development, food security and agro-processing.
Meeting with Antonio, Trung proposed that the two sides soon convene the Vietnam-Angola Intergovernmental Committee meeting and political consultations between their foreign ministries to prepare for the Angolan President’s visit to Vietnam.
Antonio underscored the importance of preserving the traditional close ties between the two countries and said efforts were underway to promote the planned visit. He also expressed appreciation for the contributions of Vietnamese businesses operating in Angola.
The two ministers agreed to expedite negotiations towards signing an agreement on investment promotion and protection, thereby further facilitating trade and investment and delivering tangible benefits to their people and businesses.
At his meeting with Mbella, Trung highlighted the Vietnam-Cameroon friendship and cooperation and expressed his hope for more concrete and substantive outcomes in trade, investment, science and technology, contributing to their respective development goals.
Mbella expressed his admiration for Vietnam's development and infrastructure and voiced his wish to strengthen bilateral cooperation in infrastructure development, digital transformation, telecommunications and artificial intelligence.
The two sides agreed to enhance exchanges between their agencies and businesses, particularly in priority areas such as agriculture and mineral extraction and processing. They also agreed to promote negotiations, the signing and implementation of key cooperation documents, including agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and investment promotion and protection, while strengthening consular cooperation./.
