President Bola Tinubu with Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday.
By Sarafina Christopher
President Bola Tinubu has said that Nigeria is committed to deepen ties with Vietnam, particularly in trade, investment, energy, mining, resource sustainability, infrastructure and climate change action.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Bui Quoc Hung, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria, in Abuja on Monday.
The statement said that the President spoke at a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tinubu said that Vietnam had been a key partner of Nigeria in Southern Asia which underscored his eagerness to fortify the bonds between them.
He, however, highlighted the significance of fostering economic, trade and investment ties, given the steady growth observed in their bilateral trade exchanges.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Chinh, who extended his country’s President Luong Cuong’s invitation to Tinubu to officially visit Vietnam, expressed appreciation for the warm welcome accorded to him.
He conveyed Vietnam’s eagerness to strengthen bilateral collaboration while acknowledging the two countries’ long-lasting friendly relations since 1976 when they established diplomatic ties.
The statement, however, said that both leaders reached an agreement which included commitment to boost bilateral trade and explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly in sustainable resource utilisation and climate change mitigation efforts.
According to the statement, Chinh also had a meeting with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist who has played a role in advancing free trade and economic progress in Africa.
