Zimbabwe, Vietnam should build on traditional ties: President hinh anh 1Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa  (R) and Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe Vu Dang Dung  (Source: VNA)

Pretoria (VNA) - Zimbabwe and Vietnam should further promote their traditional relationship and gradually turn it into special cooperative ties, especially in trade, investment and education, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

The Zimbabwean leader made the suggestion during a reception on June 19 for Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe Vu Dang Dung when the Vietnamese diplomat presented his letter of credentials to him.

At the meeting, Mnangagwa affirmed that his country and Vietnam are always comrades and brothers in their struggles for national liberation in the past and in the process of national construction and development at present.

For his part, Ambassador Dung conveyed President Tran Dai Quang's invitation to visit Vietnam to the Zimbabwean President.

He said that Vietnam always cares about the stability and development of Zimbabwe, and wished the country success in its upcoming general election.

The Vietnamese diplomat informed the host about the outcomes of his meeting with Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Sibusiso Moyo on June 18.

Accordingly, Zimbabwe supports Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in 2020-2021.

It also backs Vietnam’s stance that all disputes in the East Sea should be solved by peaceful means through negotiations and diplomatic and legal processes, with full respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), and the strictly enforcement of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC), towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

The two sides agreed to hold negotiations towards the signing of an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders of the two countries; and consider granting visa at border gates for Vietnamese tourists.

The Vietnamese Ambassador suggested upgrading the bilateral cooperation mechanism between the two countries’ foreign ministries from the Working Group level to the deputy ministerial level Partnership Forum to foster the bilateral ties.-VNA
VNA