Vietnam seeks to push ties with Middle East, Africa
A conference held by the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on August 19 set forth orientations and measures to further promote all-around cooperation between Vietnam and countries in the Middle East and Africa in the next ten years.
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Connections between Vietnam and countries in the two regions over the last decade were fruitful, participants heard.
Despite negative impacts of the global economic crisis, security-politics instability in some countries in the Middle East and Africa, and falling oil prices, the relations between Vietnam and nations in the regions have still progressed, especially in politics-diplomacy, trade, investment, and science-technology.
Vietnam has so far invested about US$1.55 billion in the Middle East and Africa.
Total trade turnover between Vietnam and the regions hit US$17.3 billion in 2015. Of which, Vietnam-Middle East trade value increased six times to US$12 billion in 2015 from only US$2 billion in 2008.
Participating policy makers and representatives from localities and enterprises directly shared experience and exchanged views with the country’s ambassadors to the regions.
They focused on how to build a new policy framework to push links between Vietnam and the two regions in 2016-2025.
They stressed that the country’s reform process and the growth prospect in Middle Eastern and African economies and their “Look East” trend have created great opportunities for Vietnam to upgrade its multi-faceted relations with the regions, particularly in trade, investment, petroleum, telecommunications, labour, agriculture, and science-technology.
