Nigeria strengthens bilateral ties with Vietnam

• signs waiver of Visa requirements

Nigeria and Vietnam have agreed on the establishment of a joint commission on trade and strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries.

This was one of the highlights of a high-level meeting between the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue, on Wednesday evening, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Both countries also agreed to increase cooperation, including in the areas of agriculture, tourism, defence and security, while also exploring other areas that would further strengthen existing platforms in order to boost economic ties between the two countries.

Also, at the meeting yesterday, Vice President Osinbajo and Deputy PM Dinh Hue witnessed the signing and exchange of Memorandum of Understanding on Agreement on Waiver of Visa Requirements for holders of valid Diplomatic & Official passports between Nigeria and Vietnam.

The Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, signed on behalf of Nigeria; while his counterpart, the Vietnamese vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu, signed on behalf of his government.

The Vice President who welcomed the Vietnamese delegation on behalf of the President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian government, said the impressive development strides recorded by Vietnam over the years has been a source of encouragement to Nigeria.

Speaking further, Prof. Osinbajo, while calling on Vietnam to be more open to Nigerian exports and businesses, noted that the country’s business climate has improved over the years.

“We are grateful for the offer from His Excellency (Deputy PM) about the possible links Vietnam could help us establish with the ASEAN countries. We are also ready to collaborate in whatever way we can to facilitate the relationships between Vietnam, ECOWAS and the African Union (AU), he said.

The Vice President said the Nigerian government would look into the issues raised by Vietnam in terms of its rice imports into the country and other issues, adding that the Government would ‘respond appropriately.’

“You can always be sure that Nigeria is a country that considers and values the friendship of Vietnam,” he noted.

Earlier in his remarks, the Deputy PM, who is visiting Nigeria for the first time, noted that Nigerian is one of Vietnam’s largest trading partners, and would welcome more investment and economic collaboration between both countries.

“Vietnam appreciates the tremendous successes that the government and the people of Nigeria has recorded in recent times in the construction and development process of the country, which has put Nigeria in a leading position in the West African region, and on the continent.

He added that, “I believe we should work faster and together to compensate for the long time passed that our two countries missed. A multifaceted cooperation shall be intensified with time,” he said.