Cairo (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El‑Sisi on August 5 issued a joint statement on upgrading Vietnam - Egypt ties to a Comprehensive Partnership.

The upgrade of the bilateral relationship came as the two leaders held a tête-à-tête and official talks in Cairo as part of President Cuong’s state visit to Egypt.

At the talks, President El-Sisi affirmed that this visit marks an important milestone, opening up a new phase of cooperation between the two countries after more than 60 years since Egypt and Vietnam established diplomatic relations.

Expressing his profound admiration for late President Ho Chi Minh and praising Vietnam’s heroic history and remarkable development achievements under the wise leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, he stressed that Egypt always values and wishes to further strengthen the traditional, close-knit friendship with Vietnam.

President Cuong affirmed the importance Vietnam has attached to the bilateral relationship, which has been nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and generations of leaders and people of both nations.

The two leaders exchanged views on each country’s socio-economic development situation and welcomed the positive progress in the Vietnam – Egypt relations, affirming their determination to create breakthroughs in bilateral cooperation across all fields.

On that basis, and in line with the level of the bilateral ties, meeting the aspirations of the two nations' peoples, and with the shared desire to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in each region and globally, both sides agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership.

The two leaders agreed that Vietnam and Egypt will continue to support each other and maintain close collaboration. They also consented to deepen political trust and implement breakthrough measures to strengthen trade and investment cooperation.

The two Presidents also discussed opportunities to expand cooperation into new areas such as innovation, science and technology, green transition, and digital transformation. At the same time, they agreed to continue improving the bilateral legal frameworks to serve as a solid foundation for comprehensive collaboration between the two countries.

To promote balanced and mutually beneficial trade, President Cuong stated that Vietnam agreed to open its market to certain products of Egyptian interest and proposed the African country facilitate access for Vietnamese goods to its market. Relevant agencies of both countries will soon carry out procedures in accordance with international practices to implement this policy. President El-Sisi said Egypt, with its strategic position at the intersection of three continents and its extensive network of free trade agreements, stands ready to serve as a gateway for Vietnamese businesses and goods to access the Middle Eastern and African markets.

He also agreed to discuss the potential establishment of new bilateral trade cooperation frameworks to help boost future trade turnover.

The two sides consented to establish a working group to explore the feasibility of negotiating a Vietnam – Egypt free trade agreement. They also pledged to strengthen cooperation in education and people-to-people exchanges, and boost tourism promotion.

President Cuong expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s Arabic language scholarships for Vietnamese students and suggested expanding collaboration and student exchanges in emerging fields such as halal, agriculture, and international relations.

He also called for experience-sharing and support in preserving and promoting Vietnam’s cultural heritage, museum management, and sustainable tourism development.

On this occasion, President Cuong called on Egypt to support the Vietnamese community there, enabling them to contribute to Egypt’s development and the bilateral ties.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, President Cuong commended Egypt’s role as a mediator in seeking solutions to regional conflicts.

President El-Sisi also welcomed Vietnam’s stance on the just cause of the Palestinian people and agreed that promoting a two-state solution is vital for achieving lasting peace in the Middle East.

For the East Sea issue, the two leaders affirmed support for resolving disputes through peaceful means, based on the respect for international law, the UN Charter, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to ensure peace, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight.

They also emphasised the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter, and agreed to enhance coordination, consultation, and mutual support at multilateral forums, for the interests of the two countries’ people, as well as for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world at large.

President Cuong invited President El-Sisi to visit Vietnam at an early date, and the Egyptian leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Following their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of several key cooperation documents, covering economy and local development.

As part of President Cuong’s state visit, the two defence ministries also signed a Letter of Intent on defence cooperation, along with a memorandum of understanding between the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Egypt’s Liaison Agency with International Organisations.

🐬 Senior officials and business leaders from both sides also held working sessions, reaching a range of agreements in the fields of finance, agricultural trade, and oil and gas./.