Dakar (VNA) - National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man had a meeting with Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on July 23 (local time), as part of his official visit to the African nation, during which the two sides agreed to boost cooperation in various areas.
PM Sonko highlighted the significance of Chairman Man’s trip, describing it as a milestone for a new phase of cooperation between the two countries. He affirmed that both President and PM of Senegal are determined to promote ties with Vietnam as a central pillar in Senegal’s South-South cooperation policy.
Recalling his impressive meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last month, the Senegalese leader showed his wish to visit Vietnam soon to discuss specific cooperation opportunities between the two countries.
For his part, the Vietnamese top legislator expressed his hope that the two countries will embark on a new cooperation phase for the development and prosperity of both nations.
He took the occasion to convey the warm greetings of Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and PM Pham Minh Chinh to the Senegalese PM.
Chairman Man briefed the host of his successful talks with Senegalese NA President Malick Ndiaye, as well as the prominent outcomes of the seminar on Vietnam-Senegal cooperation in trade, agriculture, and investment. He noted that Africa holds an increasingly important place in Vietnam’s foreign policy, as reflected in the high-level visits by Vietnamese leaders to the continent scheduled for 2025.
He stressed that with its strengths in agriculture, Vietnam stands ready to cooperate with Senegal in building a comprehensive agricultural development strategy; and hopes to boost cooperation with the African nation in other potential areas such as telecommunications and digital transformation.
The Vietnamese leader called on the two sides to create favourable conditions for their businesses and people to intensify exchanges and engagement.
Regarding future cooperation, PM Sonko showed particular interest in terms of agriculture, proposing bilateral cooperation in specific areas such as crop breeding, irrigation techniques, off-season cultivation, and agricultural engineer training. He affirmed Senegal’s desire to import more rice from Vietnam to support its food security.
The host pledged to make it easier for Vietnamese technology and service enterprises to invest and do business in Senegal, highlighting the potential for the two countries to serve as effective gateways for each other’s goods to access the West African and Southeast Asian markets.
He highly valued the role played by the Vietnamese NA in promoting people’s rights to mastery. He agreed with NA Chairman Man’s proposal to foster substantive cooperation between the legislative bodies of Vietnam and Senegal for the benefit of the two peoples.
He called on the Senegalese PM to direct relevant agencies to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses in exploring cooperation opportunities in Senegal.
The two leaders also agreed on the importance of promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries. They acknowledged the growing popularity of Vovinam – Viet Vo Dao (a traditional Vietnamese martial art) among Senegalese people as a clear testament to the solidarity and friendship between the two nations.
Following the meeting both host and guest witnessed the signing and exchange of several cooperation documents between the two countries, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Senegalese Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs; a MoU on rice trade between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Senegalese Ministry of Trade and Industry; and an another on agricultural cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock; and a Letter of Intent on fostering friendship and cooperation between the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Ziguinchor city of Senegal./.
