Vietnam and Guinea-Bissau seek to enhance all-round cooperation

To Lam welcomed Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s first visit to Vietnam which he believed would be a great success, contributing to creating new momentum for the traditionally friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries.

He spoke highly of Guinea-Bissau’s achievements in maintaining political stability, national unity, and reconciliation, as well as in socio-economic development, while acknowledging its contributions to the overall development of the African region.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s revolutionary achievements, noting that Vietnamese distinguished leaders such as President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap served as sources of inspiration for the national liberation movements in Guinea-Bissau and Africa in general.

He said that he had named a secondary school in Guinea-Bissau after President Ho Chi Minh, and affirmed that Vietnam is viewed as a model for developing countries in Africa, including Guinea-Bissau.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo reiterated Guinea-Bissau’s policy of expanding cooperation with Asian countries, including Vietnam which is considered a top priority partner.

Guinea-Bissau wants to strengthen and develop the traditional friendship and cooperative relations with Vietnam in the interest of both countries and their peoples, the guest stressed.

The two leaders briefed each other on the current situation in their respective countries, expressing satisfaction with the positive outcomes in bilateral relations, especially as both countries celebrated 50 years of their diplomacy in 2023.

The leaders discussed and outlined directions to further enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in the future. They agreed to enhance visit exchanges to strengthen political trust and create new momentum for bilateral cooperation. They also emphasized the need to effectively deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a political and diplomatic consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries to be signed during this visit.

To facilitate delegation exchanges between the two countries, Umaro Sissoco Embalo announced that Guinea-Bissau would waive visa requirements for holders of Vietnamese diplomatic and official passports.

Guinea-Bissau stays ready to work closely with Vietnam to make significant progress in economic, trade, and investment cooperation, said Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

He went on to say that the African state will continue to leverage the traditional strength of cashew nuts while implementing preferential policies to diversify export and import products, thereby creating favourable conditions for businesses from both countries to explore investment opportunities in each other’s markets.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo agreed with To Lam’s proposal to expand cooperation in potential areas with Vietnam - the third largest trade partner that accounts for a quarter of Guinea-Bissau’s total trade volume. These areas include agriculture, policy development and exchange, development models, and managerial training.

Exchanging views on mutual regional and global issues of interest, the two sides agreed to enhance close cooperation and support each other at multilateral forums, particularly at the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the G77 forum.

They also consented to promote each country’s cooperation within regional organizations of which both are members, such as ASEAN, the African Union (AU), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), especially in priority areas like agriculture, education, health care, and digital transformation.

With regard to the East Sea issue, both sides shared a common view on the importance of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the regional waters. They emphasized support for resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on establishing a political and diplomatic consultation mechanism between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between the two Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development.