NA Chairman holds talks with Senegalese counterpart
VGP - Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man held talks with President of the Senegalese National Assembly Malick Ndiaye in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on July 23.
Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man (L) holds talks with President of the Senegalese National Assembly Malick Ndiaye in Dakar
President Ndiaye warmly welcomed Chairman Tran on his official visit - the first by a senior Vietnamese Party and State leader to Senegal since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1969.
He described the visit as a significant milestone in bilateral relations, symbolizing a bond between "brothers" and reflecting Viet Nam's strong commitment to enhancing its friendship and cooperation with Senegal.
Highlighting economic ties, Ndiaye noted that Senegal imports around 10 percent of its rice from Viet Nam and has an annual import demand of about 100,000 tons.
In return, Senegal exports cashew nuts, aquatic products, fishmeal, and animal feed to Viet Nam. Emphasizing Senegal's role as a gateway to African markets and a logistics hub in West Africa, he called on Vietnamese enterprises to invest in key sectors such as agricultural processing, technology, and digital transformation.
Tran spoke highly of the long-standing friendship between the two nations. Despite the geographical distance, Viet Nam and Senegal have maintained a close and affectionate relationship, driven by a shared desire to strengthen friendship and cooperation, particularly between their legislative bodies, he said.
The top Vietnamese legislator reaffirmed Viet Nam's recognition of Africa's potential and its commitment to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation with the region, including Senegal. He noted that both Viet Nam and Senegal are dynamic, open economies and could serve as gateways to larger regional markets—Southeast Asia for Senegal and West Africa for Viet Nam.
He suggested the two countries establish a regular mechanism for delegation exchanges between the two parliaments to maintain ongoing dialogue and collaboration. He also called for stronger oversight of the implementation of bilateral agreements and called for accelerated negotiations on key cooperation deals.
Tran also suggested the two sides launch new initiatives such as appointing honorary consuls in each country and enhancing information-sharing mechanisms to support businesses in verifying partners, resolving trade disputes, and fostering a transparent and sustainable business environment.
He expressed appreciation for Senegal's participation in the Group of Friends on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an initiative spearheaded by Viet Nam; called on Senegal, as a responsible member of the international community, to support ASEAN's and Viet Nam's position on peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea based on international law, including the UN Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS.
Tran affirmed Viet Nam's willingness to assist Senegal in ensuring food security by sharing expertise, promoting research partnerships, and transferring agricultural technologies, especially in rice cultivation and agro-product processing. He also reiterated Viet Nam's readiness to serve as a bridge for Senegalese businesses seeking to enter the ASEAN market.
Following the talks, the two legislative leaders witnessed the launch of the Viet Nam–Senegal Parliamentary Friendship Group and the signing of a parliamentary cooperation agreement which sets out a framework for enhanced cooperation between the two legislatures, focusing on the exchange of high-level delegations and experience, mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums, and the development and implementation of joint initiatives./.
