State President Lương Cường and his Angolan counterpart João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço hold official talks in Luanda on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photos Lâm Khánh

LUANDA — Longstanding ties between Việt Nam and Angola are a solid foundation for a new phase of cooperation between the two countries, State President Lương Cường said during official talks with his Angolan counterpart João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço in Luanda on Thursday.

Welcoming the Vietnamese leader as the two countries celebrate their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1975-2025), President Lourenço said this visit marks a milestone for deeper, stronger cooperation between Việt Nam and Angola.

He welcomes Việt Nam’s support in developing Angola’s agriculture, especially rice and fruit cultivation, to contribute to sustainable food security in Angola.

Angola expects more Vietnamese products in the Angolan market, Lourenço said as he emphasised bilateral trade. He also called on Vietnamese businesses to invest and manufacture in Angola and proposed enhanced cooperation in fields such as security, defence, mining and metallurgy, among others.

Highlighting Angola as one of Việt Nam’s leading partners in Africa, President Cường noted that there remains ample room to strengthen cooperation and proposed that the two countries build their development partnership as a model for South–South cooperation.

In addition to consolidating political trust and solidarity, the Vietnamese leader proposed enhancing cooperation in key sectors while also diversifying collaborations in traditional areas, such as healthcare, education and agriculture.

Sharing the same viewpoint on the importance of bilateral trade and investment ties, Cường suggested that Angolan authorities facilitate projects carried out by Vietnamese companies in oil and gas, energy, mineral exploration and processing, as well as metallurgy.

He also proposed that both sides increase trade promotion activities, strengthen business and banking cooperation, and accelerate the negotiation and approval of pivotal economic cooperation agreements to raise bilateral trade turnover to US$1 billion in the near future.

The Angolan and Vietnamese presidents agreed to further consolidate the strong ties between the two countries by maintaining exchanges and visits across all channels, effectively implementing their intergovernmental committee cooperation mechanism, and fostering collaboration in workforce and leadership training.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the Vietnamese leader congratulated President Lourenço for initiating efforts to promote peace, security and stability in Africa, especially in his role as the African Union’s 2025 Chairperson and Champion for Peace and Reconciliation.

President Cường requested Angola’s support in helping Việt Nam strengthen its presence and practical cooperation with the African Union, and to back Việt Nam’s candidacies for positions in international organisations.

The two leaders reiterated their commitment to resolving disputes through peaceful means, based on respect for international law and the United Nations Charter for peace, cooperation and development in their respective regions and the world.

The Vietnamese and Angolan presidents witness the signing of cooperation agreements between the two countries.

On the occasion, they issued a joint declaration between Việt Nam and Angola, reflecting the strong commitment of both countries to boost bilateral cooperation.

They also co-chaired a press briefing and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, crime prevention, transfer of sentenced persons, as well as cooperation in defence, agriculture, media, oil and gas, and commerce and industry. — VNS