Vietnam, Algeria continue to foster time-honoured friendship

The Algerian diplomat said in a recent media interview to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of both nations’ diplomatic relations between 1962 and 2022.

The nation officially recognised the Provisional Government of the Republic of Algeria on September 26, 1958, just a week after Algeria proclaimed its independence.

Diplomatic relations were then fully established in 1962, later being extended to areas of economic, technical, and financial co-operation.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years has negatively impacted the exchange of visits and trade between both sides.

Therefore, the organisation of the 12th meeting of the Joint Committee in Hanoi in December amid the weakening of the COVID-19 pandemic will serve to create a fresh impetus for bilateral relations.

According to details given by the Ambassador, the organisation of the third meeting of political consultation between the two foreign ministries in Hanoi from May 26 to May 27 is widely viewed as a good start for the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic ties.

Moving forward, the Algerian Embassy in Hanoi is set to launch a broad range of cultural activities aimed at celebrating this major political event.

With regard to bilateral economic and trade relations, Ambassador Abdelhamid said that joint ties are linked with political ones, as well as the two nations’ potential.

Trade turnover between both sides reached US$262.54 million in 2021, with the North African nation’s imports amounting to US$231.57 million and its exports to Vietnam standing at only US$30.97 million.

As a means of reducing the trade deficit between the two countries, efforts are being made to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to become more involved in exploring the Algerian market. This will encourage them to buy products, especially agricultural items such as dates and olive oil, minerals such as fertilizers and soil enrichment products, gas such as liquefied petroleum gas, and other raw materials.

Furthermore, it remains necessary to renew the legal framework of Algeria-Vietnam co-operation because among the many bilateral co-operation agreements at Government level, some areas require further updates, especially the Mutual Agreement on Investment Protection.

Algeria's new law on investment is also one of the positive factors for the renewal process of these agreements.

As part of the occasion, Ambassador Abdelhamid highly appreciated the socio-economic achievements that the Vietnamese side has recorded over recent years.

From a country lacking food, Vietnam today not only ensures domestic food security, but has also risen to become a leading exporter of rice and agricultural products in the world.

Moreover, after recording many outstanding achievements in the field of agriculture, Vietnamese industry has also marked its sustainable development.

The nation is one of the most open economies in the world today with about 70 bilateral and multilateral trade agreements signed.

The volume of import and export goods in 2021 reached a record of US$668.5 billion. Indeed, exports remain the strength of the Vietnamese economy, helping to contribute to the growth of gross domestic product (GDP), whilst registered foreign direct investment capital hit US$395 billion.

These positive figures serve to continuously affirm that the country is on the right path of prosperous development and will continue to make great progress over the years ahead.

As a foreign diplomat in Vietnam, Ambassador Abdelhamid said he loves the nation very much and emphasized that Vietnam is a prime example of a successful combination of tradition and modernity.