Vietnamese, Sierra Leonean Presidents discuss ways to boost cooperative ties

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) welcomes Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio have agreed on orientations to foster cooperative relations between the two countries in the time to come.

During their talks in Hanoi on March 15 following a welcoming ceremony for the Sierra Leonean leader, both Presidents expressed their delight at the fruitful development of the bilateral relationship in all fields.

President Phuc hailed the Sierra Leonean leader’s visit and congratulated the African country on its achievements in socio-economic development and COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. He believed that the country will reap more successes and reach all targets of the middle-term national development plan for the 2019-2023 period.

The Sierra Leonean President expressed his impression at socio-economic achievements of Vietnam in the recent past as well as its successes in pandemic control and economic recovery at present.

Despite modest value, two-way trade has been on the rise, increasing from 17 million USD in 2018 to 51.5 million USD in 2021, they noted, adding that both sides have worked together in agriculture and investment.

An overview of the talks. (Photo: VNA)

In the time to come, the two leaders agreed to continue to maintain visits and meetings at high level and all levels, while strengthening collaboration and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially at the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, and assisting each other to expand partnerships at regional level in Africa through the African Union.

They concurred to consider economy as the focal cooperation area. Vietnam and Sierra Leone will optimise the strengths and potential of the two economies, while drastically implementing their signed agreements to boost trade ties, including the trading of rice.

Both sides will encourage and create favourable conditions for businesses of both sides to seek business and investment opportunities in each other’s country.

At the same time, the two countries will turn agriculture into a key pillar of the bilateral partnership, and share experience to promote cooperation in the field within bilateral and tripartite frameworks with the engagement of international organisations and countries with developed industry as well as the private sector.

The two leaders also focused discussion on seeking measures to expand collaboration in other areas such as high technology, telecommunications, digital transformation, innovation, and education and training.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio witness the signing of a  cooperation agreement between the two countries in agriculture. (Photo: VNA)

Following the talks, the two Presidents witnessed the signing of three cooperation deals between ministries and sectors of Vietnam and Sierra Leone in the fields of diplomacy, agriculture and fishery, which are expected to lay a foundation for the enhancement of cooperative ties between the two countries.

Earlier the same day, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio and his spouse paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the late leader’s mausoleum, and fallen combatants at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs on Bac Son street in Hanoi./.

VNA