Xuan spoke highly of South Africa’s leading role in the continent as well as its important contribution to international forums, and congratulated the country on successfully organizing the recent BRICS Summit.

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Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan holds talks with South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

For his part, Paul Mashatile welcomed the Vietnamese Vice President’s visit and described it as an important event taking place on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1993 - 2023).

He expressed his impression with Vietnam’s dynamic development achievements as well as its increasing role and position in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific, and emphasised that solidarity and mutual supports in the fight for national independence and freedom are important factors for the two countries to promote multi-faceted cooperation in national construction and development.

The two sides spoke highly of the positive developments in cooperative relations between the two countries over the past three decades.

Vietnam and South Africa have become important partners of each other in Africa and Southeast Asia. South Africa is currently Vietnam's largest trade partner in Africa, with two-way turnover reaching nearly 1.3 billion USD in 2022. Collaboration in defense-security, economic, agricultural investment, culture, education-training and people-to-people exchanges has also made positive progress.

On the same day, Xuan met General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila and Minister of South African Public Enterprises Pravin Ghordan, cut the ribbon at an inauguration ceremony of the Vietnamese Cultural Space in South Africa, and attended a ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and the 30th anniversary of of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and South Africa.

Source: VNA