Cairo (VNA) – Politburo member and Chairman of the Communist Party ofVietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh hasaffirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always attach importanceto friendly and cooperative relations with Egypt.

Chinh,who has been on a working visit to Egypt from December 8-12, made the statementduring his meetings with Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament Ali Abdel-Aal, EgyptianMinister of Local Development Mahmoud Sharawy, General Secretary of the EgyptianCommunist Party Salah Adly Abdelhafiz, General Secretary of the EgyptianSocialist Party Ahmed Bahaa El Shafey, and Chairman of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party MamdouhHabashi.

Thetwo sides discussed policies and experience in national development, andspecific measures to foster ties between the two States and legislatures, andbetween the CPV and Egyptian political parties.

Chinhthanked Egypt in its capacity as Chair of the African Union (AU) for supportingVietnam’s bid for a non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council forthe 2020 – 2021 tenure.

Hesuggested that the two sides should continue facilitating all-level visits,offer mutual support at regional and global forums for the sake of peace,cooperation and development.

Chinh,who is also Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, proposed that Egyptcontinues supporting Vietnam in establishing official ties with the AU, as wellas explore the possibility of opening a direct route between the two nations.

Theofficial held that the two countries should continue facilitating economic,trade, investment ties, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, andfriendship between localities, firstly between Hanoi and Cairo.

Vietnamand Egypt should remove trade barriers to lift two-way trade to 1 billion USDin the coming years, enhance the sharing of experience to deal with challengesin ensuring security of water resource on Nile river.

Chinhasked Egypt to back Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issues, the settlement ofdisputes via peaceful means in line with international law, the United NationsCharter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ensuringsecurity and safety of navigation and aviation in the region as well asinterests of countries that have trade ties with Asia-Pacific countries,including Egypt.

TheEgyptian leaders hailed the significance of the ongoing visit and Vietnam’s staturein the region and the world.

Theyexpressed readiness to learn from Vietnam’s experience in developing the marketeconomy and lauded Vietnam’s stance on issues of the Arab world, especially theMiddle East peace process.

Theysuggested the two countries effectively realise signed agreements, promotebilateral ties in diverse areas, and improve the operation efficiency of theVietnam-Egypt Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group.

TheEgyptian leaders hoped that Vietnam, in its capacity as the Chair of ASEAN in2020, will step up collaboration between Egypt and ASEAN member states withinthe framework of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Theysuggested establishing a business council to boost bilateral trade, and wishedto reinforce bilateral coordination in the spheres of nationaldefence-security, anti-terrorism, and climate change response, and establish ajoint university.

Onthe East Sea issues, the Egyptian side affirmed their support for thesettlement of disputes through peaceful means in line with international law,the UN Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS, ensuring security and safety of navigationand aviation in the region.

Duringthe visit, Chinh also met with the Vietnamese Embassy’s staff andrepresentatives of the Vietnamese community in Egypt./.