President Tran Dai Quang left Addis Ababa on August 25 (local time), concluding his first-ever State visit to Ethiopia.


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President Tran Dai Quang (L) shakes hands with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome 



President Quang and his spouse arrived in Ethiopia on August 23 at the invitation of the host President Mulatu Teshome.

From Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, the President flew to Luxor to start a State visit to Egypt from August 25-29 at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

The State leader’s entourage includes Chairman of the President’s Office Dao Viet Trung; Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung; Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh; and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

Accompanying the President is also President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Nguyen Quang Thuan, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Do Hoang Long, Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam, Deputy Minister of Finance Huynh Quang Hai, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ninh Binh province Dinh Van Dien, and the President’s Assistant Tran Quang Tiep.

Egypt is the fifth largest trade partner of Vietnam in Africa. With sound relations and continuous development, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Egypt reached 350 million USD in 2017. Vietnam’s main exports to the country included seafood, auto spare parts, fabrics, black pepper, coffee, rubber, consumer goods, and steel. 

In the first seven months of 2018, Vietnam’s export turnover to Egypt was valued at 277 million USD, representing a year-on-year increase of 45.2 percent.

Vietnam, Ethiopia bring relations to new height

President Tran Dai Quang and his Spouse made a State-level visit to Ethiopia from August 23-25 at the invitation of President Mulatu Teshome. On the occasion, the two sides issued a joint statement.


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President Tran Dai Quang (right) and Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome.


During the visit, President Quang on August 23 held talks with President Mulatu Teshome who later hosted a state banquet in honor of the guest. President Quang also had separate meetings with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Speaker of the House of Federation Keria Ibrahim, and visited the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and met with AU Acting President Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil.

In the meeting with PM Abiy Ahmed, President Quang spoke highly of Ethiopian’s efforts in maintaining a stable political environment and the highest economic growth in Africa. The PM congratulated Vietnam on the country’s important achievements in socio-economic development and in foreign relations, and expressed his wish for strengthened cooperation with Vietnam in various fields.

In their talks, the two Presidents exchanged ideas on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern. The host leader stressed that the first visit by the Vietnamese President created a landmark and brought bilateral relations forwards by an important step.

In the economic field, the two leaders agreed on the need to continue pushing the bilateral cooperation, as the two countries are enjoying great potential in developing economy and trade. The Ethiopian sides welcomed Vietnamese enterprises to invest in various fields, and the two sides agreed to implement the deal on aviation service and to open direct flights between the two countries at an early date.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of various cooperation agreements, and agreed to continue discussions so as to proceed to the signing of many others. The two sides highly valued the traditional bilateral relations of cooperation and friendship, and affirmed the need to intensify the political trust between the two countries.

Both leaders spoke highly of the other country’s role and position in regional and international organizations to which they are members such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Ethiopian side took note that Vietnam is the only candidate of Asia – Pacific to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN for the 2020-2021 tenure. President Quang expressed support for Ethiopia to join the World Trade Organization.

The two sides affirmed their readiness to strengthen cooperation in many fields as well as joint efforts for progress and prosperity in Asia – Pacific and Africa. President Quang highly valued the role by Ethiopia in peacekeeping missions of the UN, while President Mulatu Teshome expressed readiness to cooperate and share with Vietnam experiences in this field.

The two leaders held that peace and stability are essential needs for the goal of development and the building of a prosperous life for the mankind. The two sides called on the international community to join hands to settle armed conflicts by peaceful means. President Quang welcomed the signing of a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The two sides affirmed the importance of strengthening international cooperation against terrorism, a common threat to peace-loving nations.

President Quanginvited President Mulatu Teshome and PM Abiy Ahmed to visit Vietnam at an early date, and the invitation was accepted.

Vietnamese First Lady visits obstetric fistula patients in Ethiopia

First Lady Nguyen Thi Hien, spouse of President Tran Dai Quang, visited and presented gifts to patients being provided with care by Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, a charitable organisation dedicated to eradicating fistula in Ethiopia, on August 24.

Hien accompanied her husband on a state visit to Ethiopia from August 23 – 25, which aims to discuss measures to boost the relations between Vietnam and Ethiopia, particularly in economics and trade. This is the first trip to Ethiopia by a head of State of Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1976. 

Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia is a registered charitable organisation in Ethiopia dedicated to the treatment and prevention of childbirth injuries called obstetric fistula. The foundation was established in 1974 when the country was confronting the tragic situation of thousands of Ethiopian women suffering from obstetric fistula.

On the same day, the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, and Industry and Trade in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia to host the Vietnam – Ethiopia business forum, gathering more than 300 enterprises from both sides in an effort to improve the bilateral trade and investment.

A series of meetings also took place between Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and Ethiopian Trade Minister Melaku Alebel; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Shiferaw Shigute; and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Deputy Ministers of Communications and Information Technology Sisay Tola Yadete and Mebra Mariam Kallo.

Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties in 1976, the two-way trade has grown continuously, hitting 11.3 million USD in 2017. Vietnam exported 2.2 million USD worth of goods to Ethiopia, mainly in textiles, leather and footwear, and chemical products. 

President Quang and his wife will depart for Egypt on August 25 to begin a five-day State visit at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.


Ethiopia pledges attractive preferential policies for Vietnamese investors


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Ethiopian authorities have affirmed that the country welcomes Vietnamese businesses to invest in trade and production and will give them attractive preferential policies.

The statement was made during a meeting between 50 Vietnamese firms and local authorities of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on August 24 to discuss promising investment areas in Ethiopia, according to Ethiopia's ENA news agency. 

Addressing the event, Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Prof. Afwork Kassu, said that his country will design attractive policies to encourage investors, especially in prioritised fields, including manufacturing industry, apparel, renewable energy, construction and agricultural processing. 

The Vietnamese business delegation is on a visit to Ethiopia in a suitable time when the African country is implementing its reform cause, said Prof. Kassu.

He held that a favourable business environment, proper economic policies, stable macroeconomy and large-scale market are important factors to investors. Therefore, he affirmed that Ethiopia is an attractive destination for investors in all aspects.

He clarified that Ethiopia has made considerable progresses in becoming a promising place for doing business in Africa through the expanding of the infrastructure system such as industrial parks, railway network and roads.

Meanwhile, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that Ethiopia has a strategic position in the world economy. With abundant unexploited natural resources, the Horn of African country will become a destination for Vietnamese investors in trade and investment. Vietnamese firms wish to optimise existing potential of Ethiopia in energy, telecommunications, chemical production and fertiliser production.

According to the ENA, an Ethiopia-Vietnam Business Forum was held on the same day, drawing 50 Vietnamese firms who are accompanying President Tran Dai Quang during his ongoing State visit to Ethiopia.

Local firms reported that the forum aimed to seek measures to forge stronger cooperation in trade and investment, especially in oil and gas, apparel, real estate, telecommunications, power, agricultural production processing, automobile and other fields of both countries' potential.



VNA