Further deepening friendship and trust between Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire

At the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, President of Côte d’Ivoire's National Assembly Adama Bictogo is lead a high-ranking delegation of the West African country on an official visit to Vietnam from June 13-16.

Top legislators of Vietnam, Côte d’Ivoire hold talks

Top legislators of Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire hold talks hinh anh 1

Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has expressed belief that the ongoing visit by President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo from June 13-16 will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two countries and the two legislatures in particular.

This is the highest-level delegation and Bictogo is the first President of the Côte d’Ivoire NA to visit Vietnam in 48 years, Hue said during their talks in Hanoi on June 14 right after an official welcome ceremony held for the guest.

Bictogo conveyed the regards of Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara to Hue and other high-ranking leaders of Vietnam.

He said over the past decade, Côte d’Ivoire's GDP has been growing by over 7% annually. To reduce its poverty rate to 16% by 2030, the country is continuing with reform and opening its door for global integration.

According to the leader, Côte d’Ivoire has become one of the top 10 growing economies in Africa, with over 80% of its cashew nuts and 70% of cotton fiber exported to Vietnam. The country has also imported 40% of its rice and 45% of other goods such as machinery and motorcycles from Vietnam.

The guest proposed the two legislatures play a driving role in further leveraging advantages in various areas, including agriculture. Vietnamese businesses could set up cashew processing factories in Côte d’Ivoire, facilitate the training of Vietnamese experts to support Côte d’Ivoire in rice cultivation and mechanisation of water rice cultivation. Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire could import mechanical products from Vietnam, he said.

Bictogo called for Vietnam’s assistance in vocational training for Côte d’Ivoire young people, particularly in information technology, mechanical engineering and electronics. He suggested both sides create favourable conditions for businesspeople and citizens to conveniently travel between the two countries through direct flights.

Agreeing with Bictogo’s proposals, Hue affirmed that Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge for Côte d’Ivoire’s goods to penetrate the ASEAN and Asian markets, work closely with the African country to enhance the import of cashew nuts, cotton and cocoa, particularly by developing value chain cooperation in cashew cultivation, processing and export. Efforts will be made to strengthen trade promotion and investment, and connections between associations and enterprises via visits and exchanges.

Côte d’Ivoire should expand the imports of products of Vietnam’s strength such as seafood, fertilizers, apparel, footwear, household appliances, construction materials, electronics and machinery, he said.

Vietnam is ready to offer all possible support for Côte d’Ivoire enterprises to do business in the country and vice versa, Hue said, adding that to achieve this, cooperation in the banking sector is needed.

He urged Côte d’Ivoire to promptly respond to the draft Memorandum of Understanding on economic and trade cooperation and designate responsible authorities for the bilateral trade agreement with Vietnam. He also asked for active negotiations toward the signing of cooperation documents, thus creating a legal framework for economic, trade and investment activities.

Both sides should continue discussing to explore cooperation opportunities, the Vietnamese leader said, adding that as agriculture is a priority area via South-South cooperation mechanism, they could coordinate to seek third-party support.

The host and guest agreed to establish legal frameworks that pave the way for new collaboration areas.

Hue proposed both sides facilitate exchanges between leaders, agencies and deputies of the two parliaments to share professional experience; monitor the effective implementation of international conventions and agreements signed by the two governments; support and boost connectivity and coordination between enterprises, as well as provide all possible assistance for businesses and citizens to do business stably in each nation.

On regional and global issues of shared concern, he suggested Côte d’Ivoire support ASEAN and Vietnam's stance on ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Vietnam always attaches importance to cooperation with Africa, he said, suggesting both sides continue working closely together within the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and other multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. The two legislatures should continue upholding close coordination mechanisms at multilateral forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF), Hue said.

The host took this occasion to invite the Côte d’Ivoire legislature to send a delegation to the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians which is hosted by the Vietnamese NA in Hanoi in September. Bictogo also invited Hue to pay an official visit to Côte d’Ivoire soon and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

Top legislators of Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire hold talks hinh anh 2

The Vietnamese and Côte d'Ivoire NA leaders sign a MoU on cooperation between the two legislatures. (Photo: VNA)

Following the talks, the two leaders signed a MoU on cooperation between the two NAs and met the press to inform the outcomes of their talks.

At the press conference, Bictogo said for Côte d'Ivoire, Vietnam is an important partner and the "key" to enhancing its relations with ASEAN. Côte d'Ivoire is ready to serve as a bridge to help Vietnam strengthen its relations with the West African region in particular and Africa as a whole.

Both sides demonstrated their determination to make every effort to make the two NAs one of the models for cooperation between the Vietnamese legislature and African countries, thus making positive contributions to their friendly cooperation.

The same day, the Côte d'Ivoire delegation paid floral tribute to fallen combatants at the monument dedicated to heroic martyrs on Bac Son street of Hanoi and visited the Stilt House of Uncle Ho in the President Ho Chi Minh relic site.

State leader welcomes President of Côte d’Ivoire's National Assembly

State leader welcomes President of Cote d’Ivoire's National Assembly hinh anh 1
President Vo Van Thuong (R) and President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo (Photo: VNA)

President Thuong told President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo that Vietnam attaches importance to promoting its friendship and cooperation with African friends, of which Côte d’Ivoire is identified as one of its important partners.

Highlighting positive progress in the bilateral relations, particularly in politics-diplomacy and economy, the State leader held that there remains large room for the two nations to further develop their cooperative ties.

He recommended the two sides to increase delegation exchanges and high-level meetings; further closely coordinate and actively support each other at multilateral forums; and prioritise the promotion of economic cooperation to make it commensurate with their sound political ties and significant potential.

For his part, Bictogo said Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire, which share similarities in economic development, should work more closely together and create a safe, favourable and trustworthy business climate given difficulties and challenges brought about by global issues.

Côte d’Ivoire welcomes Vietnamese firms to study its market for cooperation and investment opportunities, particularly in processing technology and exports, the top legislator affirmed.

Both host and guest expressed their belief that the signing and implementation of a memorandum of understanding between the two parliaments will help deepen the two nations’ friendship and multifaceted collaboration in the time to come.

Vietnam treasures friendship and cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire: PM

Vietnam treasures friendship and cooperation with Cote d’Ivoire: PM hinh anh 1
PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam always attaches importance to promoting its friendship and cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire and considers Côte d’Ivoire as one of its important partners in Africa, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.

At a reception in Hanoi on June 14 for President of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly Adama Bictogo, PM Chinh proposed that both sides should ensure balanced trade, diversify goods for exchange, boost the export of goods of Vietnam's strengths, and expand cooperation into other potential areas. He also suggested studying a trilateral agricultural cooperation model between the two countries and an international organisation.

On this occasion, he asked Côte d’Ivoire to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to settle down their lives in the African country and contribute to the bilateral friendship relations.

Bictogo, for his part, affirmed that Côte d’Ivoire considers Vietnam one of its important partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and wishes to enhance multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam to maximise the immense potential between the two countries.

As room for bilateral cooperation remains huge, the host and guest agreed on measures to further deepen the bilateral ties, including facilitating high-level meetings and exchanges to enhance political trust and create a solid foundation to reinforce cooperation, particularly in economy.

Both sides were determined to further increase bilateral trade through promotional activities and exchanges, while facilitating market expansion in each country as well as in Africa and Asia.

The Vietnamese side expressed its readiness to assist Côte d’Ivoire in enhancing cooperation with ASEAN while Côte d’Ivoire committed to backing the promotion of Vietnam-Africa cooperation within the framework of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Agreeing with PM Chinh’s suggestions, the guest pledged to promote the legislature's role to facilitate cooperation between the two governments, particularly in adopting measures suggested by the PM.

He expressed his wish that Vietnam would share its development experience and proposed strengthening agricultural cooperation with Vietnam to contribute to ensuring sustainable food security in the African country.

The NA President called on Vietnamese enterprises to invest in Côte d’Ivoire, and affirmed that the African nation is willing to step up cooperation in education, health care, and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders agreed on the need to strengthen the legal framework for economic cooperation by accelerating the signing of the Framework Cooperation Agreement as well as important agreements on trade, investment encouragement and promotion, and double taxation avoidance.

They promised to continue offering mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. They also pledged to back the stance on settling disputes, including the East Sea issue, through peaceful means in line with international law.

PM Chinh suggested Bictogo convey his invitation to his Côte d’Ivoire counterpart to visit Vietnam and thanked the invitation to visit the African country. He said the visit will be arranged at a suitable time through the diplomatic channel./.

Long Pham / Vietnamplus