President Vo Van Thuong (R) and Deputy President of South Africa Paul Mashatile at their meeting in Hanoi on December 14 (Photo: VNA)

The host stressed that his guest’s official visit from December 12 to 15 takes place at an important point of time, when the two countries are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

He highly valued the substantive and productive talks between Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Deputy President Mashatil, emphasising Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations, being a friend and trustworthy partner of countries, and being a responsible member of the international community.

Given the two countries’ close-knit ties that date back to the 1960s, President Thuong expressed his hope that the two sides will keep strengthening cooperation in different fields in the time ahead.

For his part, Mashatile perceived that Vietnam and South Africa share many similarities to boost cooperation for common development.

The African National Congress (ANC) party treasures and wishes to enhance multifaceted relations with Vietnam, he stated.

The Deputy President informed his host about the outcomes of his successful talks with the Vice President of Vietnam, elaborating that the two sides reviewed the cooperation over the recent past, especially the implementation of the outcomes of Vice President Xuan’s visit to South Africa last September, and identified cooperation orientations for the time ahead.

At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to increase mutual visits, especially high-level ones, to further deepen political trust.

They concurred in the continued coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the South - South cooperation.

Speaking highly of the two countries’ important positions as gateways in their respective regions, both host and guest agreed to promote Vietnam’s cooperation with the African Union and South Africa’s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The two countries will step up connections in economy, trade, investment, education, training, and such new areas as digital transformation, and green economy, which match both sides’ potential and demand, to practically serve socio-economic development in each country.

Vietnam and South Africa will also encourage their businesses to increase meetings, promote trade and investment, and expand cooperation with each other, the leaders said.

Highlighting the countries’ rich cultures and tourism potential, they agreed to actively facilitate people-to-people, cultural, and tourism exchanges to enhance mutual understanding and sentiment between the two peoples.

President Thuong thanked the State and Government of South Africa for their attention to and support for the Vietnamese community there to live, work stably, contribute to local society, and serve as a bridge helping reinforce bilateral cooperation.

At the meeting, Mashatile also said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hopes to meet with President Thuong to discuss measures for promoting the countries’ relations. Meanwhile, the host leader extended an invitation to the South African President to pay a visit to Vietnam at an appropriate time.