Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and Malawian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tempo witness the the signing of a joint communique establishing the diplomatic relations. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

NEW YORK — Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and Malawian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tempo on September 23 (US time) witnessed the signing of a joint communique establishing the diplomatic relations between the two countries as they are in New York for the UN General Assembly's 79th session.

With the move, Việt Nam now has diplomatic ties with 194 countries.

At the meeting following the signing, Sơn affirmed that this is a historic milestone in the bilateral relations and suggested both sides carry out delegation exchanges and hold bilateral meetings via all channels to promote mutual understanding and political trust while expanding cooperation opportunities.

He said Việt Nam is willing to share its development experience with Malawi, especially in the areas of its strength like economic development, renewal and international integration, agriculture, fisheries and education. Besides, the country stands ready to work alongside the African country to seek funding from third parties such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the European Union for trilateral agricultural cooperation projects in Malawi.

Nancy Tempo, for her part, held that the Việt Nam – Malawi ties have officially entered a new page, and expressed her willingness to foster collaboration in all areas with Việt Nam. — VNS