Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and South African Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula (Photo: VNA)

PM Phuc said Vietnam highly values South Africa’s role in regional and global issues as well as at international organisations such as the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, G20 and group of five major emerging national economies BRICS. 

The Prime Minister said Vietnam has launched a project on developing ties with Middle East and African countries for the 2016 – 2025 period, in which South Africa is considered Vietnam's leading partner in Africa. 
The PM spoke highly of the development of Vietnam-South Africa defense policy dialogue saying it has contributed to bilateral friendship and cooperation. 
Praising the outcomes of the earlier talks between the two defense ministries, PM Phuc affirmed that the Vietnamese government will create favorable conditions for the development of bilateral defense relations, thereby promoting the Vietnam-South Africa partnership for cooperation and development. 
Mapisa-Nqakula said South Africa is now in the process of reform, expressing her hope that the delegation will learn from Vietnam’s socio-economic development experience during the visit.