South African President successfully concludes State visit to Vietnam

On the evening of October 24, President of the Republic of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation left Hanoi, successfully concluding their State visit to Vietnam from October 23-24, at the invitation of President Luong Cuong.

South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa at the Vietnam - South Africa Business Forum. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

Seeing off the South African President and his delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were: Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh; Deputy Head of the Office of the President Nguyen Hoang Anh; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan; Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Sy Cuong.

During the visit, the South African President and the delegation laid wreaths and visited President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum; and laid wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs.

President Luong Cuong presided over the State-level welcome ceremony, held a private meeting, held talks and met with the press with the President of South Africa. The President of South Africa met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. The President of South Africa and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the Business Forum between the two countries, co-organized by the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry and the South African Embassy in Vietnam. The President of South Africa also attended the 10th Session of the 15th National Assembly and visited the National Assembly Museum; visited the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap (30 Hoang Dieu, Hanoi); and received leaders of several large economic groups in Vietnam.

At high-level meetings, Vietnamese leaders agreed that, after 70 years, the spirit of solidarity between the two nations still holds true; Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship with South Africa, a close friend and the first African partner with whom Vietnam established a partnership for cooperation and development in 2004.

Looking back at the bilateral relationship over the past time, the two sides have achieved very important achievements, political trust has been constantly consolidated, and ties have been built on all Party, State, and Parliament channels; economic cooperation has been increasingly developed, making South Africa Vietnam's leading trade partner in Africa. The two sides regularly coordinate closely in multilateral forums and on international and regional issues.

President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa shared that Vietnam is a close friend and important partner of South Africa in the Asian region, emphasizing that this visit aims to affirm the determination of the State and Government of South Africa in consolidating and developing the important partnership with Vietnam in the strategy of increasing market expansion in the context of many profound changes taking place in South Africa as well as in the world.

Based on the historical ties stemming from the common ideals of independence and freedom and the good achievements of cooperation in recent times between the two countries, the Leaders agreed on the orientation and strived to complete the procedures to upgrade the framework of the Vietnam - South Africa bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2025, in order to create a strong impetus to develop the relationship between the two countries in depth, for the benefit of the people of the two countries and for peace and development in the region and the world.

The leaders agreed to further deepen political closeness and trust through increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations through all channels of the Party, State, National Assembly as well as between ministries, sectors, localities and enterprises; to more effectively implement existing mechanisms, and soon organize the next meetings of the Vietnam - South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum, Political Consultation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Joint Trade Committee and the Defense Policy Dialogue.

The leaders also assessed that the two countries have strengths that can complement each other for mutual development and that there is still great room and potential to promote cooperation between the two countries, continuing to expand cooperation in the fields of green transformation, digital transformation, creative economy, renewable energy, communications, and climate change response; asking South Africa to support Vietnam in soon launching negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU); asking the Parliaments of the two countries to continue to strengthen coordination, support each other and organize bilateral meetings on the sidelines of multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA) and groups of parliaments of the Southern Hemisphere to jointly protect the interests of developing countries.

The South African President affirmed his determination to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including cooperation between parliamentary bodies, commensurate with the good political relations and positions of the two countries; saying that when the two countries officially upgrade their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, the role of the two countries' legislative bodies is essential to ensure that cooperation agreements will be implemented.

On this occasion, the two sides issued a Joint Statement.

President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa's State visit to Vietnam, taking place nine years after his visit as Vice President, is an important milestone in the bilateral relationship, demonstrating the special respect and determination of the two countries in elevating bilateral relations.

The visit not only strengthens the traditional friendship but also opens up opportunities for the two countries' leaders to comprehensively assess the cooperative relationship, orientate the promotion of economic, trade and investment cooperation, and exploit new potentials, towards a more comprehensive and deeper relationship in the future.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/tong-thong-nam-phi-ket-thuc-tot-dep-chuyen-tham-cap-nha-nuoc-toi-viet-nam-20251024205416764.htm