Agricultural cooperation – a pillar in Vietnam-Madagascar ties

Agricultural cooperation is a pillar in the Vietnamese-Madagascan relations, President Tran Dai Quang and his Madagascan counterpart Hery Rajaonarimampianina said during their talks on November 25.

The talks were held at Madagascar’s Presidential Palace following an official welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese leader, who is in the African nation to attend the 16^th Francophonie Summit.

President Tran Dai Quang (L) and Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina

They rejoiced at progress in the two countries’ traditional friendship and sound cooperation.

The host leader underlined the importance of President Quang’s visit as this is the first time his country has welcomed a Vietnamese President.

He said the Madagascan people have long admired the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people since the Southeast Asian country is a symbol of the struggle for national liberation in the past as well as of current national development, particularly in poverty reduction, which has been recognised by many countries around the world.

President Quang said his country is ready to cooperate with Madagascar in the fields it is strong in and Madagascar has demand for, especially agriculture, trade and investment.

He asked both sides to soon sign important agreements such as those on double-taxation avoidance, and investment encouragement and protection so as to create a legal framework for business and investment partnerships.

The two Presidents agreed to direct their respective agriculture ministries to expeditiously organise meetings to devise concrete cooperation projects. The Vietnamese side repeated an invitation to Madagascar’s agriculture minister to visit its country in the near future.

Vietnam and Madagascar should increase delegation exchanges at all levels and boost economic, trade and investment cooperation to intensify bilateral ties, President Quang said, asking Madagascar to provide optimal conditions for Vietnam’s military-run telecom Viettel to invest in the local telecommunication industry.

Both leaders highly valued the inauguration of Vietnam’s honorary consulate in Madagascar and described this as a milestone in the countries’ relations. The consulate is expected to help bring about practical outcomes in their cooperation in the time ahead.

At the talks, they also exchanged views on many issues to improve cooperation within the International Organisation of La Francophonie. President Quang spoke highly of Madagascar’s efforts to host the 16^th Francophonie Summit.

With regard to international and regional situations, the Vietnamese leader stressed the significance of enhanced cooperation to maintain peace, stability and development, particularly to ensure freedom, security and safety of navigation.

The two sides highlighted the law-abiding spirit and the principle of resolving sea disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

They agreed to continue coordination at international forums, especially within the framework of the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement.

President Quang took this occasion to ask Madagascar to support his country’s candidacy for a non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

He thanked the Madagascan Government for helping to renovate the complex of President Ho Chi Minh statue at a square in downtown Antananarivo capital city, noting that the complex is a symbol of the countries’ time-honoured amity and demonstrates Madagascan’s sentiment towards the late leader of Vietnam.

He also acknowledged favourable conditions the Madagascan Government has provided for Vietnamese-origin people.

On this occasion, he invited Hery Rajaonarimampianina to pay an official visit to Vietnam. The Madagascan President thanked and accepted the invitation.

Following their talks, the two Presidents witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on rice trading cooperation between Vietnam and Madagascar.

Also on November 25, President Quang laid a wreath at Ho Chi Minh Square in Antananarivo and visited Vietnam’s pavilion at the Francophone Village.

Talking to Vietnamese-Madagascans, he assured the Vietnamese Party, State and people always consider Madagascans of Vietnamese origin as an integral part of the country. He also acknowledged their contributions to the development of Vietnam and hoped that they will keep solidarity and work harder for the sake of Madagascar as well as bilateral relations.