Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong speaks at the meeting

The two-day conferenceis held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a view to bolstering tiesbetween Vietnam and African and Middle Eastern countries and consolidating thebridging roles of the countries’ diplomatic missions in Vietnam.

Addressing the openingceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong affirmed that Vietnam andcountries from Africa and the Middle East supported each other during theirfights for independence in the past and national development at present.

With 200 cooperationdocuments already signed since 2010, trade between Vietnam and those in Africaand the Middle East has increased by three folds, from 5 billion USD in 2010 to18 billion USD in 2018, he noted.

The cooperation betweenVietnam and countries from Africa and the Middle East has positivelycontributed to the countries’ socio-economic development, which make theirpeople better off.

However, the diplomat pointedout that the trade potential between Vietnam and African, Middle Easterncountries has yet to be fully tapped.

Therefore, he voicedhis expectation that the conference would be a forum for diplomats, policymakers, financial institutions, enterprises and local administrations fromVietnam, Africa and the Middle East to discuss measures to remove obstacles intrade ties among the countries.

The event serves as avenue for the diplomatic missions of countries in Africa and the Middle Eastand relevant ministries, agencies and organisations of Vietnam to discussmeasures to boost multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and African andMiddle Eastern countries.

The conference isscheduled to last through September 10.-VNA