NEW YORK – Việt Nam always attaches importance to promoting friendship and cooperation with African countries, including Burundi, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said while meeting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye in New York on September 22 as part of his trip to attend the high-level week of the 78th UN General Assembly.

PM Chính thanked the Burundian government for supporting Vietnamese enterprise’s telecommunications project which contributes to the host nation’s socio-economic development.

He proposed Burundi create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to operate in the African nation, and suggested both countries enhance delegation exchanges, promote cooperation mechanisms, and bolster trade exchanges as well as agricultural collaboration.

President Ndayishimiye, for his part, congratulated Việt Nam on its achievements in the cause of national construction and development, saying Việt Nam was an outstanding example for other developing countries.

Burundi always treasured the development of relations with Việt Nam, a potential partner in Southeast Asia, he said, adding he agreed with PM Chí nh’s recommendations to boost the bilateral ties in the time ahead, with a focus given to investment-trade cooperation.

Both leaders reached consensus on enhancing cooperation and supporting each other at multilateral forums as well as promoting their roles as bridges to enhance cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the African Union (AU) as well as between the two regional blocs.

At the meeting, the two leaders also discussed several issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) matters.

PM Chính took this occasion to convey President Võ Văn Thưởng’s invitation to President Evariste Ndayishimiye to visit Việt Nam. President Ndayishimiye accepted the invitation with pleasure and expressed his hope to visit Việt Nam soon. - Viet Nam News

VNA/VNS