A view of the meeting. Photo: VNA   

Vietnam and Egypt are moving to deepen cooperation under their newly established Comprehensive Partnership, with both sides accelerating preparations for a joint action programme and the resumption of a key bilateral cooperation mechanism.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Nam Duong had a meeting with Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Samar Al-Ahdal in Cairo on June 4 to discuss measures aimed at advancing bilateral relations following the elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Partnership in August 2025.

The meeting was attended by a delegation from the Agency for Foreign Trade under Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Discussions focused on developing an action plan to operationalise the partnership framework and preparations for the sixth session of the Vietnam-Egypt Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation, which is expected to be held in Egypt in the coming months.

Al-Ahdal reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to strengthening ties with Vietnam, expressing confidence that the upcoming Joint Committee meeting would serve as a landmark event in the countries’ traditional friendship and a demonstration of South-South cooperation.

She said the session is expected not only to assess progress in existing areas of cooperation but also to identify new opportunities across a broad range of sectors, including diplomacy, trade, industry, agriculture, science and technology, culture, tourism and media.

Egypt also proposed holding a bilateral business and investment forum alongside the Joint Committee meeting to facilitate connections between enterprises from both countries and unlock new opportunities for business and cooperation.

Ambassador Duong described the planned action programme as a concrete step towards translating the Comprehensive Partnership into practical cooperation following State President Luong Cuong’s state visit to Egypt in August 2025, during which the new framework was established.

He underscored the importance of the Joint Committee as a cornerstone mechanism for bilateral cooperation, noting that Vietnam is keen to see its revival after nearly a decade of inactivity due to various objective circumstances.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and other relevant agencies have been working closely with Egyptian counterparts to finalise the agenda and organisational arrangements for the meeting, including discussions on a feasibility study for a potential free trade agreement between the two countries./.