Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang held talks with Dr Mansour Ali Saeed Bajash, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ex♕patriates of Yemen, in Hanoi on July 17 as part of the latter's working visit to Vietnam.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Hang welcomed Dr Bajash’s visit, noting that it marked the first official visit to Vietnam by a senior Yemeni official since the two countries established diplomatic ties 60 years ago. She said the visit will help create fresh momentum for the bilateral relationship. She congratulated the Yemeni government on the establishment of the Presidential Leadership Council, which she said opened up new prospects for peace and stability in the country. As a nation that had also experienced war, Vietnam sympathised with the hardships faced by the Yemeni people and hoped the country will soon achieve peace, stability and development, she said. For his part, Dr Bajash expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam for the first time and witnessing first-hand its beauty, people and development achievements. He thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its warm and hospitable welcome. Expressing his deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, the diplomat said he had long been impressed by Vietnam’s heroic struggle for independence, its rich cultural identity, and remarkable development progress. He added that Vietnam’s development journey served as an inspiration for less developed, war-affected countries like Yemen to follow. Deputy Minister Hang shared Vietnam’s reform journey, highlighting how the country has transformed from a war-torn, impoverished nation into the world’s 32nd largest economy. She noted that Vietnam is now entering a new stage of development, aiming to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a developed country by 2045. The two sides agreed on priority areas for future cooperation, including increased delegation exchanges, information sharing, and trade promotion, with a view to raising two-way trade above the current 50 million USD. They also discussed collaboration in the Halal industry. Dr Bajash proposed enhancing connections to facilitate Yemeni businesses learning from Vietnam’s experience, and requested Vietnam’s support in training Yemeni officials at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Hang welcomed the proposals and affirmed Vietnam’s willingness to share its development experience and boost cooperation in education, trade, and Halal sector. In multilateral forums, Dr Bajash praised Vietnam’s positive role and contributions, reaffirming Yemen’s support for Vietnam’s positions at such platforms. Both sides agreed to continue mutual support and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations. On this occasion, the two deputy ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, laying an important foundation for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the time to come./.