Hanoi (VNA) –🎃 General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila on July 24 afternoon came to the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa to pay his respects and sign the condolence book following the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

The SACP leader expressed deep condolences and solidarity with the Party, State, and people of Vietnam, and the bereaved family over their great loss. Writing in the condolence book, Mapaila emphasised that the SACP will always remember the contributions by the Vietnamese Party leader to the cause of building socialism in Vietnam, and to inheriting the historical struggle against imperialism of the country under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap. The SACP also proudly acknowledges the contributions to the international struggle of the working class for socialism, and his leadership of the heroic Vietnamese people in building resilient and sustainable socialism. The Vietnamese Embassies in Algeria and Egyp have hoisted the national flag at half-mast, opened a book of condolences, and organised a memorial service for the late leader.

On the morning of July 24, all the staff and personnel of the embassies and Vietnamese representative offices in the two African countries observed a minute of silence to honour and bid farewell to him. Opening the condolence book, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh expressed profound grief at the passing of the Party chief, stressing that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a model of a steadfast communist, an outstanding thinker, and an eminent leader who devoted his whole life to the country and people. The diplomat vowed to continuously strive to make more contributions to the country’s development - a cause that the General Secretary had tirelessly nurtured. President of the Algerian Senate Salah Goudjil expressed deep condolences over the great loss of the Party, State, Government, and people of Vietnam. In the condolence book, Goudjil emphasised that Vietnam has lost a steadfast and visionary combatant, and an outstanding leader whose great contributions to the country's development across areas from politics, diplomacy, economics and culture have been proven by history. The Vietnamese Party leader left an important hallmark in the process of building a modern and prosperous Vietnam, he said, affirming that Algeria always stands in solidarity with Vietnam and believes that the Vietnamese people will overcome this difficult period. The same day, Secretary General of Algeria's National Liberation Front (FLN) Party Abdelkrim Benmbarek, and member of the FLN Party Central Committee in charge of external relations affairs Mourad Lamoudi paid tribute to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the embassy. Earlier, Benmbarek also sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee, saying the members of the FLN Party Central Committee remember the Vietnamese Party chief as a wise leader who devoted his entire life to the development of Vietnam and the building of the CPV. The Algerian Party leader also highlighted Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's contributions to nurturing the traditional friendship between the two parties. The same day, Laïd Rebiga, Minister of War Veterans and Rights Holders of Algeria, represented Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to pay tribute to the Vietnamese Party leader. Ambassadors of many countries in Algeria, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), France, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Mali, Iraq, Indonesia, and Malaysia, also signed the condolence book in memory of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. They expressed their grief at the passing of the Vietnamese Party chief and acknowledged and appreciated his contributions to Vietnam’s development as well as his efforts to strengthen relations between Vietnam and other nations.

Many diplomatic and international delegations in Egypt, as well as representatives from the Egyptian Presidency and the Arab League (AL), visited and signed the condolence book in memory of the Vietnamese Party leader, expressing their sorrow at the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. They acknowledged and highly valued his contributions to Vietnam's development and the promotion of relations between Vietnam and other countries. Writings in the condolence book, Salah Adly Abdelhafiz, General Secretary of the Egyptian Communist Party, expressed deep sorrow and extended heartfelt condolences to the leadership of the CPV and the people of Vietnam, stressing that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was an outstanding leader with strategic vision who made enormous contributions to building socialism in Vietnam as well as to developing the country’s distinctive foreign policy. Abdel Aziz El Sherif, Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister and Chamberlain of the Presidency Cabinet of Egyptian Presidency, wrote in the book that on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, he extended his deepest condolences to leaders and people of Vietnam. He called Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong a steadfast leader who devoted his life to the cause of building the CPV, and to the country and people of Vietnam; and made many huge contributions to the country’s renewal, development, and progress. Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang extended his deepest condolences over the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and described the deceased as an outstanding leader of the Vietnamese people and a great friend of the Chinese people. Ambassadors of Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, the RoK, Brunei, and Rwanda, along with representatives from the embassies of Thailand, Indonesia, Syria, and Myanmar in Egypt also signed the condolence book in memory of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The embassies of Panama, Dominica, Brazil, Libya, Yemen, India, Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Holy See also sent condolence notes to the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt./.