Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Hằng holds talks with Dr Mansour Ali Saeed Bajash, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Yemen, in Hà Nội on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Hằng held talks with Dr Mansour Ali Saeed Bajash, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Yemen, in Hà Nội on Thursday as part of the latter's working visit to Việt Nam.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Hằng welcomed Dr Bajash’s visit, noting that it marked the first official visit to Việt Nam by a senior Yemeni official since the two countries established diplomatic ties 60 years ago. She said the visit will help create fresh momentum for the bilateral relationship.

She congratulated the Yemeni government on the establishment of the Presidential Leadership Council, which she said opened up new prospects for peace and stability in the country. As a nation that had also experienced war, Việt Nam sympathised with the hardships faced by the Yemeni people and hoped the country will soon achieve peace, stability and development, she said.

For his part, Dr Bajash expressed his delight at visiting Việt Nam for the first time and witnessing first-hand its beauty, people and development achievements. He thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its warm and hospitable welcome.

Expressing his deep admiration for late President Hồ Chí Minh, the diplomat said he had long been impressed by Việt Nam’s heroic struggle for independence, its rich cultural identity, and remarkable development progress. He added that Việt Nam’s development journey served as an inspiration for less developed, war-affected countries like Yemen to follow. 

Deputy Minister Hằng shared Việt Nam’s reform journey, highlighting how the country has transformed from a war-torn, impoverished nation into the world’s 32nd largest economy. She noted that Việt Nam is now entering a new stage of development, aiming to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a developed country by 2045.

The two sides agreed on priority areas for future cooperation, including increased delegation exchanges, information sharing, and trade promotion, with a view to raising two-way trade above the current US$50 million. They also discussed collaboration in the Halal industry.

Dr Bajash proposed enhancing connections to facilitate Yemeni businesses learning from Việt Nam’s experience, and requested Việt Nam’s support in training Yemeni officials at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam.

Hằng welcomed the proposals and affirmed Việt Nam’s willingness to share its development experience and boost cooperation in education, trade, and Halal sector.

In multilateral forums, Dr Bajash praised Việt Nam’s positive role and contributions, reaffirming Yemen’s support for Việt Nam’s positions at such platforms. Both sides agreed to continue mutual support and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.

On this occasion, the two deputy ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, laying an important foundation for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the time to come. — VNA/VNS