Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung held talks with visiting Angolan Minister of External Relations Téte António. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung held talks with visiting Angolan Minister of External Relations Téte António in Hà Nội on Thursday.

Welcoming António on his first official visit to Việt Nam, Trung congratulated Angola on its achievements in recent years, particularly its efforts to diversify the economy, improve people's living standards, and successfully assume the Chairmanship of the African Union (AU) in 2025.

Briefing his counterpart on Việt Nam’s socio-economic development after 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal) and the country’s foreign policy following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, Trung affirmed that, in the current international context and amid Việt Nam’s enhanced standing, the country continues to cherish its friendship, traditional ties, fraternity, and comradeship with Angola.

The Vietnamese FM proposed that the two sides strengthen political trust through high-level exchanges, while maintaining existing cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Việt Nam–Angola Intergovernmental Committee and Political Consultations between the two foreign ministries.

Regarding bilateral cooperation, Trung suggested that the foreign ministries of both countries actively serve as bridges connecting relevant ministries and sectors to improve the quality, effectiveness and diversity of cooperation in priority areas such as energy, agriculture, education, healthcare, science and technology, and mining.

He proposed that Angola create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to participate in oil, gas and energy projects in the African country. He expressed hope that both sides will coordinate to implement South-South agricultural cooperation through bilateral, trilateral or quadrilateral mechanisms, as well as public-private partnerships, while continuing expert exchange in education and healthcare and strengthening cooperation in science and technology.

Trung also called on the Angolan Government to continue to ensure the security and safety of Vietnamese enterprises and the Vietnamese community in Angola, enabling them to live and work stably and contribute meaningfully to the development of both countries.

For his part, António conveyed a message of friendship from Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm and thanked Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Trung for their warm welcome.

António expressed admiration for Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements and appreciation for the valuable support provided by the Vietnamese Government and people before Angola gained independence, and throughout the country’s particularly difficult period of civil war. He affirmed that Angola attaches great importance to its relationship with Việt Nam and hopes that Việt Nam will continue to accompany Angola in its next stage of development.

He said Angola valued President Lương Cường’s state visit in August 2025, seeing it as the start of a new chapter in bilateral ties.

Sharing information about Angola’s current situation, António said the Angolan Government is implementing economic reforms to diversify the economy, create a favourable environment for foreign investors, modernise agriculture, and encourage Vietnamese businesses to explore investment and business opportunities in Angola.

Agreeing with the proposals put forward by Trung, António affirmed that he will instruct the Angolan Ministry of External Relations to work closely with relevant agencies of both countries to implement cooperation programmes and projects in agriculture, and to support the stable and long-term operation of Vietnamese businesses in Angola, thereby helping to make bilateral cooperation more substantive and effective.

The two foreign ministers also agreed on the need to accelerate negotiations and strive to sign important legal instruments in 2026 to provide a stable and long-term foundation for economic cooperation and better protect the legitimate interests of businesses, particularly the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the agreement on investment promotion and protection.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two ministers agreed to uphold the tradition of coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums, while strengthening practical cooperation with regional organisations of which both countries are members, including the African Union and ASEAN.

They also pledged to work together to address non-traditional security challenges and transnational crime for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and for peace, stability and development in their respective regions and the wider world. — VNA/VNS