(VOVWORLD) - Elevating Vietnam-Angola relations to new heights, to serve as a bridge to promote peace, cooperation, and sustainable development in Southeast Asia and Africa” was the key message of President Luong Cuong’s policy speech delivered to a special plenary session of the Angolan National Assembly on Thursday.
 President Luong Cuong delivers a policy speech at the special plenary session of the Angolan National Assembly. (Photo: Viet Cuong)
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President Cuong said that in its foreign policy, Vietnam values and wishes to promote comprehensive cooperation with the African region, especially with Angola.
Vietnam wants to steer the Vietnam-Angola relationship into a new phase of deeper politics, stronger trade, and more open people-to-people exchanges, and build a "cooperative partnership for mutual development", that can serve as a model of South-South cooperation, Mr. Cuong said.
He called for strengthening economic, trade, and investment cooperation commensurate with our good political relations and the potentials and strengths of each country.
“Vietnam and Angola are both dynamically developing economies. Many Vietnamese enterprises specializing in telecom, agriculture, oil, gas, and mining, are operating effectively in African countries. We hope the Government and National Assembly of Angola will facilitate Vietnamese enterprises’ operations, which will boost Angola's economic development and the relationship between the two countries.”
 President Luong Cuong delivers a policy speech at the Angolan National Assembly. (Photo: Viet Cuong)
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President Cuong said he’s confident that bilateral trade turnover could reach 1 billion USD in the near future. When they come to Vietnam, a safe, friendly, attractive destination, Angolans will feel like they’re coming home, and will understand and love Vietnam and its people more, he said.
President Cuong applauded Angola's role as Chair of the African Union (AU) in 2025 and noted that Vietnam will be the Chair of ASEAN in 2029. He said he hopes Angola will help Vietnam strengthen relations with the AU in priority areas of the AU's Vision Agenda 2063. Vietnam is ready to help Angola and African regional organizations strengthen relations with ASEAN and its member countries, President Cuong noted.
The Vietnamese leader also met with Chairman of the Angolan National Assembly Carolina Cerqueira, and proposed that their two legislatures work to establish a Vietnam-Angola Parliamentary Friendship Group and strengthen coordination and consultations at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Global Young Parliamentarians Forum.
The two sides agreed to refine laws so as to support bilateral cooperation and the implementation of signed agreements.