(VOVWORLD) - Egypt was the first country in Africa-Middle East to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1963. Throughout the period, bilateral relations have developed substantially in all fields, from politics to diplomacy, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges. To mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties on September 1 this year, Egyptian Ambassador to Vietnam, Amal Abdel Kader Elmorsi Salama, granted VOV an interview, sharing her opinions on the development of bilateral relationship with focus on prospects for future cooperation.
 Egyptian Ambassador Amal Abdel Kader Elmorsi Salama and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
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The bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Egypt has constantly developed, especially after high-level visits by leaders of the two countries.
On the occasions of the Vietnam visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2017 and the visit to Egypt in 2018 by then President Tran Dai Quang, the two countries signed nearly 20 bilateral cooperation documents.
Ambassador Amal Abdel Kader Elmorsi Salama attributed the achievements to the political relations, which serves as an umbrella for all cooperation fields.
“We have also important economic, trade and cultural relations. We are seeking to increase bilateral trade and investment cooperation, and also to cooperate in many technical fields, like climate change, digital transformation, and maritime transport. We have signed an MoU on maritime cooperation. Also, renewable energy is important, so there are so many fields that we can work on,” said the Ambassador.
 Ambassador Salama at VOV's studio. (Photo: vovnews) |
Egypt is one of important trade partners and a potential market of Vietnam in the Africa-Middle East region, with two-way trade turnover surpassing 600 million USD last year. Both are working seriously to increase bilateral trade, according to Ambassador Salama.
She underscored the importance of having bilateral visits between the two business communities so that they can have many meetings and discuss the way forward regarding increasing the bilateral trade.
“Also, we can look into organizing business forums both in Hanoi and Cairo, or in Alexandria or in HCM City. I had fruitful meetings with leaders of VCCI and relevant authorities here in Vietnam, especially working on the economic and trade sector. I have been coordinating with the Egyptian side, and they are very much interested to strengthen these fields of cooperation in the new future,” said Madam Salama.
 Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (second from left) and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang witness the signing of an MoU on cooperation between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Central Bank of Egypt. (Photo: VGP)
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During talks in Cairo in July between Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Prime Minister of Egypt Mostafa Madbouly, the two sides pledged to make it easier for businesses from both countries to increase connectivity and engage in investment projects in each country.
One of the best ways to realize this is through the Vietnam-Egypt Joint Committee for Cooperation, said the Ambassador, adding that the targets set by the leaders of the two countries are very realistic because both have great potential to increase the relations.
“We are very optimistic that we can make even more progress if we work on it between both sides. We will seek ways to increase exports from both sides and also to seek to encourage investment from both participants regarding Vietnamese investment in economic zones in Egypt. We also encourage Egyptian firms to come and visit Vietnam. There is a lot to be done and we can reach the target in the near future,” according to the Ambassador.
On top of economic, trade and investment cooperation, over the past 6 decades cultural exchange has been an essential pillar of the bilateral relationship, Ambasador Salama said, giving an example of the recently signed agreement on the friendship and cooperation between Cairo and Hanoi to enhance multi-faceted cooperation in culture, economy, sport, and education.
“We will work on it, so we can have more activities between both capitals. We are holding some cultural events that we are coordinating with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth to organize in December. Maybe we will have an exhibition, or a hybrid performance between Egyptian and Vietnamese performers in the Opera House,” Ambassador Salama gave some details.
 Statue of Ramses II in Luxor Temple (Photo courtesy of the Egyptian embassy)
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Tourism is part of people-to-people exchange and cultural exchange and both Vietnam and Egypt have great potential for tourism cooperation thanks to their geographical positions, age-old civilizations, and rich and colorful histories.
As a result, Ambassador Salama underscored the need to encourage Egyptians to come to Vietnam to experience the rich culture and tradition of Vietnam and vice versa.
She pledged that the Embassy of Egypt always welcomes all Vietnamese tourists to her country and facilitates all aspects for them and for the tourism agency as well.
“And of course, we will work more to see an increase in the number of visitors in the near future. We have COVID issues that affected tourism internationally, but it’s time to work seriously to increase the people-to-people contact. Egyptians respect Vietnamese culture very much and they would like very much to come and see your beautiful country,” Ambassador Salama noted.
Affirming that the two countries still have a lot of potential for cooperation, the Ambassador insisted that Egypt and Vietnam will continue to explore together the bright future of their friendship and cooperation, and further enhance traditional ties between the two countries, and brotherly relations between the two peoples.