On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Egypt (September 1, 1963 - September 1, 2023), Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Huy Dung gave an interview to a VNA reporter in Cairo about the achievements of cooperation between the two countries in recent times as well as prospects for bilateral cooperation in the future.
Ambassador Nguyen Huy Dung spoke at the ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Egypt diplomatic relations on the evening of July 26 (local time) in Cairo.
How does the Ambassador assess the achievements of the friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and Egypt over the past 60 years? What are the strengths that the two sides need to promote? Vietnam and Egypt have a traditional and friendly relationship. The bilateral relationship is built on a solid foundation of the common aspiration for independence and freedom and has been constantly nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries. Over the past 60 years, the Vietnam - Egypt relationship has continued to develop remarkably in many fields. The two sides have actively exchanged high-level delegations and regularly supported each other in regional and international forums such as the United Nations (UN), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the African Union (AU)... Egypt is currently Vietnam's leading trade partner in the North African region. Cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation between the two cultures with a long history and rich identities have contributed to bringing the people of Vietnam and Egypt closer together. In particular, many Vietnamese students and diplomats who have been trained in Arabic in Egypt are, together with the Vietnamese community living in Egypt, acting as a bridge of friendship between the two countries. In recent years, leaders at all levels of the two countries have maintained mutual visits. Notably, the visit to Vietnam by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2017 and the visit to Egypt by the late President Tran Dai Quang in 2018. Through these visits, the two countries signed a series of cooperation agreements between ministries, branches and localities. Most recently, in July 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang paid an official visit to Egypt and attended the ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in Cairo. It can be said that the good and long-standing political relations between the two countries as well as the deep affection that the people of the two countries have for each other are the strengths and solid foundation for the development of economic cooperation in the coming time. On the contrary, the development of bilateral economic - trade - investment relations will become a solid foundation to further promote political - diplomatic relations and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. How does the Ambassador assess the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, both in bilateral relations as well as in the international arena and at multilateral forums? Firstly, in terms of politics and diplomacy, the two countries share many similar views on regional and international issues. Therefore, the two countries have been and are closely coordinating at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, etc. As both developing countries, in great need of a peaceful and stable international environment for cooperation and development, Vietnam and Egypt have a lot of room for cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally. This cooperation contributes to promoting a peaceful, stable and developing environment in the region as well as responding to traditional and non-traditional security challenges, green and sustainable growth, minimizing the impact of climate change, etc. on a global scale. Second, in terms of economy, Vietnam and Egypt have many complementary strengths for mutual development. Both are large markets with more than 100 million people, have important geostrategic positions on the world map and can support each other to penetrate larger regional markets. With the advantage of being a member of many free trade agreements (FTAs) at the regional level, Vietnam can be a bridge for Egyptian goods and services. On the contrary, with its prime location at the intersection of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, and being a member of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Egypt can effectively support Vietnamese goods and services to access these large markets. Vietnam and Egypt signed their first trade cooperation agreement in 1994 in Cairo and the first meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee between the two countries was held in Hanoi in 1997. Since then, despite experiencing some difficult periods, the two countries have maintained a close cooperation mechanism through regular meetings of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee. The 5th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee most recently took place in Hanoi in 2017. The two countries are actively preparing in all aspects for the 6th meeting as soon as possible to review and implement the signed agreements effectively and substantially.
Delegates attended the ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Egypt on the evening of July 26 (local time) in the capital Cairo.
Dear Ambassador, this year, how have Vietnam and Egypt coordinated to organize activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in each country?Sixty years ago, on September 1, 1963, the two countries solemnly announced the establishment of official diplomatic relations. The year 2023 is of great significance in the history of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Egypt. The Ambassadors have closely coordinated to create a simultaneous effect in both countries. In Egypt, the Vietnamese Ambassador gave interviews to television channels such as Nile TV, Sada el-Balad... and a number of local press agencies about the relationship between the two countries. On July 22, the Egyptian Embassy in Hanoi held a ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. On July 26, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt also solemnly held a celebration with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Egyptian Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmed Samir and many representatives of ministries, branches, and localities of Egypt, the Vietnamese Diplomatic Corps in Cairo, the Vietnamese community in Egypt... The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt will continue to organize celebration events until the end of 2023 by introducing cuisine, potential for economic - trade cooperation, tourism and bilateral investment not only in the capital Cairo but also in some localities in Egypt.
According to the Ambassador, what should Vietnam and Egypt do to continue developing bilateral relations in the coming time?
To continue promoting the development momentum of bilateral relations in the coming time, the most important thing is that ministries, branches and localities of Vietnam and Egypt need to move towards a substantive relationship, while building a specific, sincere and frank relationship. In recent high-level meetings, leaders of the two countries have affirmed their political determination to bring bilateral relations to new heights in all aspects.
Could you tell us the focus of cooperation between Vietnam and Egypt in the coming years?
In the coming years, the focus of cooperation between the two countries should be on further developing economic, trade, investment and tourism relations; promoting the strengths of each economy; enhancing people-to-people exchanges; promoting parliamentary and political party cooperation; sharing development experiences as Vietnam and Egypt have gone through quite similar stages of development... I have complete confidence in the bright future of the traditional Vietnam - Egypt relationship in the coming decades.
Thank you very much Ambassador!
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