State President Luong Cuong, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam will pay state visits to Egypt and Angola from August 3 to 9 at the invitation of President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and President of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and their spouses.
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State President Luong Cuong |
Vietnam and Egypt share a long-standing and special relationship since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1963. The two countries have actively supported each other in the past national liberation struggles and in ongoing international organizations and multilateral forums. President Ho Chi Minh visited Egypt three times in his life, in June 1911, June and September 1946.
In economic, trade, and investment cooperation, Egypt was the first North African country to recognize Vietnam as a full market economy. It is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in North Africa, with bilateral trade turnover reaching USD 541.36 million in 2024. The two countries also maintain close collaboration in education and training, and have increasingly promoted cooperation at the local level.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Angola have long-standing ties of comradeship, forged during their mutual struggles against colonialism and imperialism, and in their respective national salvation and national construction and defense causes. The Communist Party of Vietnam and the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) established their relationship before the two nations gained independence and have maintained a strong bond of solidarity and friendship.
Economic and trade relations between Vietnam and Angola have seen encouraging developments, with bilateral trade turnover in 2024 reaching nearly USD 250 million. In recent years, Vietnamese enterprises have shown growing interest in promoting cooperation and investment in Angola, particularly in oil and gas, hydropower, agriculture, forestry, and mining. Cooperation in education and training, culture, tourism, and at multilateral forums has also witnessed remarkable progress.
President Luong Cuong's state visits mark the first by a top Vietnamese leader to Egypt in seven years, and to Angola in 17 years. The visits reflect Vietnam's consistent foreign policy of treasuring its ties with traditional African friends and its aspiration to elevate and expand these relationships. Notably, the visits serve as an opportunity to strengthen political trust, deepen traditional friendships, and a driver for new cooperation frameworks with Egypt and for enhancing the relations between the two countries and between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the MPLA.
As Africa is projected to become a dynamic development center in the coming decades, these visits also aim to help Vietnam diversify its partners, expand potential export markets, and promote cooperation in green transition, digital transformation, clean energy, construction, and tourism with Egypt, as well as in energy, oil and gas, mining, agricultural processing, and banking with Angola. Good relations with these two countries also offer favorable conditions for Vietnam to strengthen its partnerships at international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
The reception of State President Luong Cuong and his spouse by Egypt and Angola affirms these African nations’ the high regard for Vietnam’s growing role and position in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific regions. It also reflects their desire to promote multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam and through Vietnam to build stronger ties with countries and multilateral organization in the region.
The fruitful time-tested friendship and the positive development in relations with Egypt and Angola provide a strong foundation for Vietnam to further deepen cooperation with these two leading African economies in ways that leverage each side’s strengths and meet Vietnam’s development needs in the new era.
It can be optimistic that Vietnamese state leader’s visits will serve as a breakthrough and catalyst for a new phase of cooperation, particularly in economy and trade, between Vietnam and Egypt, Angola, and other African countries.
By the Editorial Board of the People’s Army Newspaper
Translated by Mai Huong