State President Luong Cuong (L) and Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. Photo: VNA

President Lourenço praised President Cuong’s state visit as a historic milestone that lays the foundation for a new phase of deeper and stronger cooperation between the two countries.

Expressing his delight at visiting Angola for the first time on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the eve of Angola’s 50th independence anniversary, President Cuong conveyed the warm greetings from Party General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Lourenço, other leaders and the people of Angola.

The two leaders reviewed the enduring Vietnam-Angola relationship, forged through shared solidarity during their respective struggles for national liberation. A lasting symbol of this friendship is Ho Chi Minh Avenue, prominently located in the heart of Angola’s capital Luanda.

President Cuong stressed the fraternal ties between Vietnam and Angola as a shared invaluable asset. It serves as a solid foundation for both countries to enter a new phase of development, further foster political trust and mutual support between the two Parties and States, and deepen the solidarity and mutual understanding between their people.

Hailing Vietnam’s role and strengths, the host leader suggested Vietnam assist Angola in agricultural development, especially in rice cultivation and fruit production, as part of Angola’s strategy to ensure sustainable food security.

Regarding trade, President Lourenço expressed his desire for greater presence of Vietnamese products in Angola’s market and encouraged Vietnamese companies to invest in manufacturing within the country. He also proposed expanding cooperation in national defence-security, mining, and metallurgy.

Reaffirming Angola’s status as a top African partner of Vietnam, President Cuong noted the untapped potential in bilateral cooperation and proposed working together to build a cooperative partnership for mutual development, setting a model for South-South collaboration.

To achieve this, the Vietnamese leader advocated for sustained political solidarity and trust, stronger national defence-security ties, diversified collaboration in traditional sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture, especially through expert exchanges.

Sharing the host’s stance on the importance of elevating trade and investment ties, President Cuong suggested Angolan authorities support Vietnamese firms in pursuing projects in the fields of oil and gas, energy, mineral exploitation and processing, and metallurgy.

He proposed boosting trade promotion, business connections, and banking cooperation, alongside accelerating negotiations for key economic agreements to achieve a bilateral trade target of 1 billion USD in the near future.

The guest also urged Angolan authorities to ensure the safety and stability of the Vietnamese community in Angola, enabling them to contribute to the development of both nations.

The two leaders agreed to continue to strengthen the solidarity, cohesion and trust between the two Parties and countries through maintaining the exchange of high-level visits and contacts through all channels, effectively implementing the Intergovernmental Committee mechanism, and promoting cooperation in areas such as human resource training and student exchange.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, President Luong Cuong congratulated the President of Angola for his many initiatives to promote peace, security and stability in Africa in his role as Chairperson of the African Union in 2025 and African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation.

To promote the effectiveness of cooperation between the two countries in multilateral, international and regional forums, the Vietnamese President asked Angola to support Vietnam in increasing its presence, expanding substantive cooperation with the African Union and supporting Vietnam's candidacy for international organisations.

The two leaders affirmed their support for resolving disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respect for international law and the UN Charter, for peace, cooperation and development in each region and in the world.

On this occasion, President Luong Cuong respectfully invited President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and his wife to pay an official visit to Vietnam. The host leader thanked and accepted the invitation with pleasure.

At the end of the talks, President Luong Cuong and President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço issued a Vietnam - Angola Joint Statement, demonstrating the commitment and determination of the two sides in opening a new phase in bilateral cooperation.

They co-chaired a press conference and witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents.

The signed documents include the agreement on the transfer of sentenced prisoners betwee Vietnam and Angola; the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Vietnam and Angola; the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in crime prevention and control between the Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam and the Office of the Attorney General of Angola; the Letter of Intent on cooperation between the Vietnamese and Angolan Ministries of National Defence; the Action Plan on agricultural cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; the agreement on cooperation between Vietnam Television and Angola's national broadcaster TPA; and the MoU on oil and gas cooperation between the Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation and Angola’s Sonangol E&P.

Within the framework of the visit, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its Angolan counterpart signed a MoU on cooperation./.