Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang attended the event as part of his official visit to Egypt.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Huy Dung highlighted the development of the friendship and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Egypt over the past 60 years.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Huy Dung speaks at the ceremony. |
Egypt was the first country in Africa - Middle East to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1963. The two nations have many similarities in history and share a common aspiration for freedom and independence, the diplomat said, stating that they are symbols of resilience and indomitability in the struggle for national liberation.
The ambassador emphasized that the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Egypt has constantly developed, especially after high-level visits by leaders of the two countries in 2017 and 2018. On the occasions of the Vietnam visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2017 and the visit to Egypt in 2018 by President Tran Dai Quang, the two countries signed nearly 20 bilateral cooperation documents.
The ambassador said that the two sides are actively and effectively implementing those agreements.
He affirmed that Egypt is one of the important trade partners and a potential market of Vietnam in the Africa - Middle East region with two-way trade turnover surpassing USD 600 million in 2022. The two countries aim to increase the trade turnover to USD 1 billion in the coming time.
Ambassador Dung emphasized that Vietnam and Egypt have great potential to strengthen cooperation in all fields, especially economy, trade, logistics, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. The two countries have also promoted local cooperation in recent years.
Affirming the growing economic ties between the two countries despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Hazem El-Tahry said the two sides are also making efforts to strengthen the legal framework for bilateral cooperation by updating existing agreements and finalizing new ones.
El Tahry said that cultural exchange is an important pillar of the Vietnam - Egypt relationship, and suggested that the two countries step up cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.
On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang met with officials and employees of the Vietnamese Embassy and the overseas Vietnamese community in Egypt.
Source: VNA