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| President Luong Cuong received Egyptian Ambassador Amal Abdel Kader Elmorsi Salama at the Presidential Palace, July 1, 2025. |
Ambassador, please tell us the significance of this visit to the Vietnam - Egypt relationship? What are the main working contents of this visit?
The State visit to Egypt by President Luong Cuong has strategic significance, with long-term impacts on the development of Vietnam - Egypt relations in the context that the two countries are entering a new era, a new era of development. This is the first State visit to Egypt in 7 years, since the visit to Egypt by President Tran Dai Quang in 2018. This visit by President Luong Cuong is an important foreign political event of both countries, with special significance, demonstrating the commitment to create breakthroughs, elevate relations, strengthen political trust, further deepen the traditional friendship, thereby creating momentum, opening a new phase of cooperation, especially in economics and trade between Vietnam and Egypt as well as African countries.
The visit takes place at a very important time for each country: Vietnam is striving to complete the foreign affairs goals and tasks set by the 13th National Party Congress, implementing many breakthroughs in institutions and infrastructure to serve national development, towards the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam; preparing to summarize the Project "Developing relations between Vietnam and Middle Eastern and African countries in the 2016-2025 period" and the Project "Developing relations between Vietnam and the African Union in the 2021-2025 period"... Meanwhile, Egypt is promoting the successful implementation of the Egypt Vision 2030 Strategy to continue to affirm and consolidate its position in the region and the world...
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Huy Dung. (Source: VOV) |
During the visit, President Luong Cuong is expected to hold high-level talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi; meet with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Senate President Abdel-Razek, House of Representatives President El-Gebaly; visit and deliver policy speeches at the Arab League headquarters... President Luong Cuong will also spend time meeting, encouraging and advising officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and agencies affiliated to the Embassy as well as the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in Egypt.
To further strengthen political trust and elevate the relationship between the two countries in a comprehensive and extensive manner, on the occasion of the State visit of the President of Vietnam to Egypt this time, the Leaders of both sides expect and wish to soon elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive partnership, in order to open up a new space with much potential and room for friendly and cooperative relations for a common prosperous future, while at the same time building and better exploiting new cooperation mechanisms, on the basis of respecting international law and the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions of each country.
The two sides also agreed on the contents of a number of documents expected to be signed during President Luong Cuong's visit, namely: a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs and the Egyptian Ministry of Local Development; a Memorandum of Understanding on economic cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Egyptian Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation.
What are the outstanding achievements that reflect the depth and substantial development in bilateral relations over the past 60 years between the two countries, Ambassador?
President Ho Chi Minh visited Egypt three times (in June 1911 and June and September 1946). The relationship between Vietnam and Egypt has a long history and is especially close since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1963. Since then, the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Egypt has achieved remarkable achievements and expanded in many fields, consolidated on the basis of friendship, equality, mutual respect, and mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the people of the two countries. The two countries actively supported each other in the struggle for national liberation as well as at international organizations and multilateral forums. Egypt was one of the first countries to recognize the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. The relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam and political parties and some parties with the same ideology in Egypt has developed well.
The bilateral relationship between the two countries has reached new heights with state visits by the two countries' leaders in 2017 and 2018. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visited Vietnam in 2017 and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang visited Egypt in 2018. By 2023, Vietnam - Egypt relations continue to witness great developments, with the two sides actively exchanging high-level delegations, including the delegation of Politburo member and Minister of Public Security To Lam; Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang...
Within the multilateral framework, the two countries regularly coordinate closely and support each other at forums of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the African Union (AU) and ASEAN. Vietnam highly appreciates Egypt's important and increasingly proactive and active role in promoting and maintaining stability and security in the region. Vietnam stands side by side with Egypt and other countries, supporting and ready to participate in the international community's joint efforts to promote dialogue and provide humanitarian assistance to people in conflict-affected areas, contributing to peace, security and stability in the region and the world. In addition, Vietnam also highly appreciates Egypt's role and positive contributions to UNESCO, especially in the fields of heritage conservation, education, digital transformation, climate change and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on the occasion of attending the 8th Future Investment Initiative (FII8) Conference in Saudi Arabia, October 29, 2024. (Source: VGP) |
Currently, the two sides continue to support and coordinate each other at multilateral forums, especially bridging each other in enhancing cooperation with ASEAN and Arab countries, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, cooperation and development in the two regions.
The two sides have also signed cooperation agreements between Hanoi - Cairo (July 2023), Ninh Binh - Luxor (August 2018) and will continue to promote cooperation between localities in the coming time. Regarding education and training, Egypt annually offers 12 Arabic language scholarships to Vietnamese students. Regarding tourism, although the two sides have great tourism potential, in reality, the two sides have not fully exploited their potential and have not developed commensurate with that potential. In recent years, the number of Vietnamese tourists to Egypt has increased slightly, while the number of Egyptian tourists to Vietnam is still modest.
According to you, what are the areas of economic and trade cooperation with great potential between the two countries, Ambassador?
Egypt is the first North African country to recognize Vietnam as having full market economy status (November 2013). Egypt is an important market for Vietnam in the region, with trade turnover currently reaching 541.36 million USD, the highest in the North African region, of which Vietnam has a trade surplus of 472.63 million USD, including items such as computers, electronic components, seafood, agricultural products, fibers, textiles, etc.
Currently, Vietnam has 1 enterprise investing in Egypt with a total capital of about 30 million USD and 1 garment enterprise in joint venture with an Egyptian enterprise. The State Bank of Vietnam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on general cooperation with the Central Bank of Egypt (July 2023). By the end of 2024, Vietnamese commercial banks have established 46 correspondent relationships with banks in Egypt with a total two-way payment and money transfer turnover of about 235 million USD, the highest in Africa. Egypt currently has 22 registered investment projects in Vietnam with a total capital of about 2.78 million USD.
During his participation in the 8th Future Investment Initiative (FII8) Conference in Saudi Arabia (October 2024), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to encourage businesses of the two countries to invest in each other in the fields of electric vehicles, software research, renewable energy, solar energy, green transformation, digital transformation, etc.; promote cooperation in training, cultural exchange, tourism, and enhance mutual understanding.
Notably, during the political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries (November 2024), the two sides continued to affirm the traditional cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Egypt, emphasizing the potential for deeper cooperation in economics, trade, investment, green energy, Halal food, food security; towards a new level of economic relations.
Vietnam is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Egypt is one of the key countries in the Middle East - North Africa (MENA) region. Both regions are strategically important in global economic, political and security issues; both are developing economies, with a need for cooperation in trade, investment, agricultural development, industry, energy, and digital transformation... Therefore, Vietnam can access the MENA market through Egypt (Egypt's strategic location at the crossroads of Asia - Africa - Europe), while Egypt can consider Vietnam as a gateway to export goods to the large ASEAN market. In general, Vietnam and Egypt can be a strategic bridge between ASEAN and MENA, especially in the fields of multilateral diplomacy, trade - investment, infrastructure and logistics connectivity, or cultural - educational - tourism exchange...
In addition, Vietnam has been a partner country of the BRICS Group of Emerging Economies (BRICS) since June 2025, committed to promoting the linkage of the BRICS program with other multilateral mechanisms, aiming at the goal of sustainable development and South-South cooperation. Meanwhile, Egypt has been an official member of BRICS since 2024, regularly participating in and creating conditions for Vietnam to expand cooperation through BRICS+ and inter-regional initiatives such as ASEAN - BRICS - MENA. Within the framework of BRICS, the connecting role between Vietnam and Egypt can be viewed in a new strategic direction, especially in the context of BRICS expanding its influence and seeking cooperation partners from regions other than the original group. Therefore, Egypt can represent the interests of the MENA region in BRICS, promoting investment, finance, and energy initiatives between BRICS and MENA; Vietnam, with its increasingly prominent role in ASEAN, can create a bridge between BRICS and ASEAN, thereby jointly creating a BRICS – ASEAN – MENA inter-regional cooperation corridor, while expanding BRICS' influence globally.
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| Ambassador Nguyen Huy Dung gives an interview to Egypt's Sada Elbalad TV channel about the relationship between the two countries. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt) |
What should the two countries do to promote a new wave of investment, especially in areas of strength with new momentum created from this visit, Ambassador?
Egypt has an important strategic position, managing the Suez Canal, a vital shipping route connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Egypt has influence and a voice in regional organizations such as the Arab League (AL), the African Union (AU), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)..., playing an important role in mediating many conflicts in the region... Egypt is an important ally of the US in the region, maintaining good relations with Russia, China, the European Union (EU) and is expanding relations with Asia - Pacific, including ASEAN and Vietnam.
Egypt is the second largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of 380 billion USD, GDP per capita of 3,540 USD, and a growth rate of 2.7%. Despite facing many difficulties, with the strength of a diversified economy, large market, and a system of many free trade agreements, Egypt is making efforts to reform its economy, promote exports, attract investment, and seek international financial support. Currently, Egypt is focusing on improving the quality of life, social equity, diversifying the economy, including the private economy, sustainable development, infrastructure, innovation, digital transformation, governance and institutional reform.
It can be said that the two sides have a lot of room for cooperation on both bilateral and multilateral levels. The two countries have many complementary strengths for mutual development, both are large markets with more than 100 million people, and have important geostrategic positions on the world map... Moreover, Vietnam and Egypt have many similarities in geopolitics and history, and the good, long-standing political relationship between the two states as well as the deep affection that the people of the two countries have for each other will be strengths and a solid foundation for the development of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
I believe that, with the close attention and coordination, and careful preparation of both programs and content by both sides, President Luong Cuong's State visit to Egypt will be successful in all aspects, becoming a new milestone in the good traditional friendship between the two countries, which was founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and has been diligently cultivated, built and developed by generations of leaders and people of the two countries over the past 60 years.
That will be a testament to the inheritance of good traditions, and at the same time demonstrate the strategic vision of the two countries' leaders in developing the strategic partnership, for the benefit of the two peoples, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.
Thank you very much Ambassador!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-tham-ai-cap-the-hien-cam-ket-dot-pha-mo-ra-giai-doan-hop-tac-moi-toan-dien-giua-hai-nuoc-322830.html
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