Angola asks VN for help in many areas

President Truong Tan Sang (right) receives Angolan Vice President Fernando Santos yesterday in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan

HA NOI — President Truong Tan Sang said a visit to Viet Nam by Angolan Vice President Fernando Dias Dos Santos helped consolidate the traditional relations between the two countries and bring them to a new height.

Speaking at a reception in Ha Noi yesterday, Sang said Viet Nam and the south-western African country shared certain similarities and had close ties historically which would lay the ground to create a breakthrough in relations in the coming time.

He said Viet Nam was more than willing to share experiences in hunger reduction and agriculture development with Angola.

The Angolan Vice President said his visit aimed to promote traditional friendship and all-round co-operation with Viet Nam, especially in agriculture, health care, education and oil and gas.

Earlier, Angolan Vice President Fernando Santos held talks with his counterpart Nguyen Thi Doan, whose outcomes President Sang announced "would make practical contributions to promoting the two countries' co-operative relations."

Following the talks, the two Vice Presidents witnessed the signing of two documents on co-operation between Viet Nam and Angola. They are the protocols on tertiary education and cultural co-operation.

Also yesterday, Santos was received by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who took the occasion to ask both sides to increase co-ordination and mutual assistance at multilateral forums, exchange more delegations and beef up co-operation.

Dung proposed that via the Viet Nam-Angola Inter-Governmental Co-operation Committee, the two sides increase two-way trade from last year's figure of US$160 million to a higher figure that would better reflect the potential and the close partnership.

Dung asked Angola to assist Vietnamese businesses to invest in Angola's agriculture, oil and gas, construction and telecommunications, among other fields as well as the Vietnamese community in Angola.

For his part, Santos affirmed that Angola would create all favourable conditions for Vietnamese investors seeking business opportunities in Angola as well as for Vietnamese expatriates.

Later in the day, the Angolan leader attended the opening of the Angolan Embassy in Ha Noi.

The opening of the Angolan embassy in Viet Nam reflects the country's determination to strengthen up the two countries' ties, Santos said.

Earlier, the Angolan delegation visited Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Phuoc and Tien Giang provinces. — VNS