The statement was made by Phung Huu Phu, a member of the CPV Central Committee and deputy head of the Party Commission for Information and Education, during a working session in Cairo on October 29 with Mohamed Abdellah, who is in charge of external affairs of the NDP.

Mr Phu praised Egypt’s role in settling the Middle East issues and taking part in the UN’s peace-keeping force, and expressed his hope that Egypt will help promote cooperation between Vietnam and other African countries.

Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge between Egypt and Southeast Asia and Asia as well, said Mr Phu.

He said that the CPV wants to share experiences in leadership with ruling parties in the world, including the NDP. He proposed that the two parties increase regular exchanges of high-level visits to share information and experiences.

For his part, Mohamed Abdellah expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s past struggle for national independence and the present Renewal and integration process.

The NDP and the Egyptian government acknowledged Vietnam’s contributions to solving the Middle East issues, he said.

Mr Phu invited Mohamed Abdellah to visit Vietnam and conveyed CPV General Secretary Nong DUc Manh’s regards to President Hosni Mubarak and other NDP leaders.

Earlier, Mr Phu held a working session with the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology.