Egyptian ambassador Amal Abdel Kader Elmorsi Salama writes for Việt Nam News on the 70th Anniversary of the National Day of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

This year, the Egyptian national day marks the 70th anniversary of the Egyptian revolution of July 23, 1952. This event shaped the modern political history in Egypt and significantly inspired other countries in different parts of the world, especially those struggling to achieve independence. The first Egyptian Republic was established to lead the path of modernisation, development and social justice in Egypt.

Not many years later, and in the spirit of solidarity among nations aspiring for independence and development, Egypt and Việt Nam established diplomatic relations in 1963, and both countries are looking forward to working together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Egyptian-Vietnamese diplomatic ties and the longstanding friendship between our two nations next year.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc receives Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in his historical state visit to Việt Nam in September 2017. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

In recent years, the friendship between Egypt and Việt Nam had its highest political manifestation in the historical exchanged state visits of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to Việt Nam in September 2017 and the late president of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam Trần Đại Quang to Egypt in August 2018.

These visits contributed further momentum to the bilateral relations between our two countries and peoples in all fields, including political, economic, military, parliamentary, and cultural aspects.

Furthermore, despite the impact of the pandemic, the economic ties between Egypt and Việt Nam continued to grow. The bilateral trade volume between the two countries topped US$600 million last year.

In addition, the second session of the subcommittee on Industry and Trade Cooperation was virtually held in August 2021 to further promote economic cooperation between our two countries. Currently, both countries are working closely to prepare for the 6th session of the Egyptian Vietnamese Joint committee, to be held in Cairo, and the 9th session of political consultations in the capital.

Among the different fields of cooperation between Egypt and Việt Nam, cultural relations continue to be a very important pillar of our bilateral relations. Several joint activities took place in recent years, including the active participation in cultural festivals and events organised by the two countries and the increasing numbers of Vietnamese students choosing to study the Arabic language in Egypt. These relations further contribute to raising the young generations' awareness regarding the friendship between our two nations and consolidating the cultural links between our countries.

This year, Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on November 6-18, 2022, to address the important challenges that the world faces as a result of climate change, and discuss the different commitments pledged in this regards.

Luxor Temple dated back to 1400BC. Photo courtesy of the embassy

The Egyptian government also launched a successful economic reform programme in 2016, together with the Egypt Vision 2030, that reflects the country's long-term strategic plan to achieve the principles and goals of sustainable development in all fields. The vision also reflects the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic dimension, the social dimension, and the environmental dimension.

Egypt is also witnessing real development progress in many fields, where more than 14 new cities are currently being completed, in addition to the new administrative capital, and an extensive network of roads and tunnels have been constructed.

In addition, there is the launching of many national initiatives such as "a decent life," which contributes to enhancing the quality of daily public services provided to Egyptian citizens, and the "Egypt future" project which aims to reclaim and develop 1.5 million acres in Egypt, as well as Egypt's adoption of two national strategies in the field of hydrogen and the electric car industry.

Furthermore, there is a successful programme regarding renewable energy projects, and electrical interconnection projects with neighbouring countries, in addition to developing international and domestic airports and ports and different industries.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to Việt Nam for its impressive socio-economic achievements in recent years and to emphasise that under the current leadership of both our nations, Egypt and Việt Nam will continue to explore the bright future of their friendship and cooperation, and enhance the traditional ties between both countries, and the brotherly relations between our two peoples. VNS