During talks with Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister Pham Binh Minh, as part of his ongoing visit to Vietnam
from December 27-30, Lejeune Mbella Mbella said that his country is willing
to help bridge collaboration between Vietnam and members of the Economic and
Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC).
He lauded the effectiveness of
Vietnamese-invested projects in Cameroon, including a joint venture between
the military telecommunications group Viettel and a local firm, which he
described as a symbol of the successful affiliation between the two
countries.
He proposed the increase of
coordination among the localities of the two countries, as well as the
organisation of trade promotion programmes and the exchange of training
courses and scholarships.
The Cameroon Ministry of External
Affairs will ask the President to approve the coverage of the country’s
Ambassador to China over Vietnam and the appointment of an honourary
ambassador of Vietnam in Cameroon, as well as create favourable conditions
for the implementation of joint rice development projects in the form of
public-private partnerships.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham
Binh Minh suggested that the two foreign ministries work closely together to
accelerate a Vietnam visit by the Cameroon President in 2018, and conclude
negotiations for agreements on investment encouragement and protection and
double-tax avoidance, and another deal on cooperation in industry and
promoting Vietnam’s exports to Cameroon.
Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh asked the
Cameroon side to back Vietnamese investors in the country.
Cameroon currently ranks 12th out
of 72 destinations of Vietnamese investors, with four projects totaling 270
million USD. Two-way trade between the two sides has reached about 200
million USD, mostly from Vietnam’s imports of materials from Cameroon.
During his stay, the Cameroon
Foreign Minister also paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
and met Chairman of the President’s Office Dao Viet Trung to hand over a
letter of Cameroon President Paul Biya to President Tran Dai Quang. He also
held a meeting with Vietnamese firms investing in Cameroon.
On the occasion, the two countries
signed a framework agreement in bilateral cooperation, another on visa
exemptions for those holding diplomatic and official passports, and a
memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two Foreign
Ministries.
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Source: NDO