Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting in Hanoi on April 4 with Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye who is on an official visit to Vietnam.
The Government leader laid stress on the significance of the visit, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Burundi diplomatic relations (April 16, 1975-2025), the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975-2025), and the 80th anniversary of the National Day of Vietnam (September 2, 1945-2025).
He congratulated Burundi on its important achievements under President Ndayishimiye's leadership and expressed Vietnam's support for Burundi's national development plan, which aims to transform the African nation into an emerging economy by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.
President Ndayishimiye expressed his delight at visiting the fraternal Vietnam and witnessing firsthand the country's remarkable historical achievements after nearly 40 years of renewal. He praised Vietnam's recent socio-economic management that has successfully met development targets while improving the people’s living standards.
The President affirmed that Vietnam is a close friend and trusted partner of Burundi in Asia, and took this occasion to thank PM Chinh’s strong commitment to promoting the bilateral ties. He specifically acknowledged the practical contributions of the Lumitel telecommunications joint venture and expressed support for its operations, including the expansion of 5G coverage in Burundi.
The two leaders concurred to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels and strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, and science-technology. They also discussed expanding collaboration into new areas such as agriculture, mining, tourism, infrastructure development, construction materials, and hydropower.
Basing on Vietnam's international integration experience over the past nearly 40 years of renewal, PM Chinh said Vietnam stands ready to share expertise with Burundi in the areas of mutual interest and strength, including building reform policies, international integration, industrialisation, agricultural development, production, animal husbandry, and education.
They welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations between the foreign ministries and a framework cooperation agreement between the two governments. They confirmed that agencies from both countries will continue active negotiations to sign additional documents to improve the legal framework facilitating bilateral cooperation.
Furthermore, the two leaders held that Vietnam and Burundi need to enhance mutual understanding through training cooperation, exchanges, and connections between people and businesses of both countries to share information about culture, people, business practices, and cooperation opportunities.
Regarding multilateral collaboration, they agreed to boost coordination and support each other's positions on regional and international issues at global forums, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and cooperation in each region and in the world.
PM Chinh requested Burundi to support ASEAN's stance on resolving maritime disputes through peaceful means based on international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and ASEAN's efforts to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development./.
