Addis Ababa(VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang has affirmed to Speaker of Ethiopia’s House ofFederation Keria Ibrahim that Vietnam has always attached great importance todeveloping its traditional friendship and all-round partnership with Ethiopia.

Meeting the Ethiopian headlegislator in the capital city of Addis Ababa on August 24 as part of his firstvisit to the African country, the Vietnamese State leader spoke highly of Ethiopia’ssuccess in maintaining political stability, national development, and reachingthe highest economic growth rate in the continent over the past 10 years.

He proposed thatEthiopia’s House of Federation support and encourage the open policies of its government,creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to seek cooperation andinvestment opportunities in the country, particularly in areas that play toVietnam’s strengths and experience, such as agriculture, trade,telecommunications, aviation, and small and medium-sized hydropower plantbuilding.

President Quang toldhis host that Vietnam has already enjoyed fruitful agricultural cooperationwith some African countries including Guinea, Benin, Mozambique, and Angola. Hesuggested that the two sides consider the implementation of a tripartitepartnership or the public-private partnership model in agriculture.

Vietnam is willing tocreate the most welcoming conditions for Ethiopian enterprises to engage inlocal business and investment, the President said.

Regardingparliamentary cooperation, President Quang asked the legislative bodies of bothsides to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, while coordinatingwith and supporting each other at international and regional forums, sharing informationand legislative and supervising experience, and enhancing their role inpromoting signed agreements and deals between the two countries.

For her part, KeriaIbrahim lauded the Vietnamese leader’s visit, and was clearly impressed by thecountry’s rapid and stable economic growth over the past year, climbing tobecome the world’s leading exporter of key agricultural products, such as riceand coffee.

She said she hopes thatVietnam will share with Ethiopia their experiences in economic development,especially in areas of strength such as agriculture and aquaculture.

She said that Ethiopia,with its position as a key economic centre for Africa and a gateway to the Hornof Africa, is willing to act as a bridge for Vietnamese businesses to access othernations on the continent.

She proposed thatVietnam re-open an embassy in Addis Ababa to strengthen bilateral cooperation,as well as affiliation between Vietnam and the African Union.

The House ofFederation Speaker pointed to similarities between Vietnam and Ethiopia asdeveloping countries with young and abundant workforce, as well as a mutual determinationto boost economic growth and improve the living conditions of local people.

The two leaders agreedon the need to further strengthen the collaboration between the legislativebodies of the two countries, thus contributing towards enhancing their economic,trade, and investment partnership to match the already sound politicalpartnership between the two sides. The two countries should continue maintainingclose coordination at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and theInternational Parliamentary Union (IPU).

On the occasion,President Quang conveyed National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan’svisit invitation to Keria Inbrahim, and received her acceptance.

Earlier the same day,President Quang and his spouse visited the National Museum of Ethiopia.–VNA