At the meeting, General Secretary To Lam welcomed and highly appreciated the official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, the first visit to Vietnam by a senior Ethiopian leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations (February 23, 1976). The visit is even more special as it takes place in the context of the two countries preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1976 - 2026) and Vietnam is solemnly celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification.

The General Secretary said that the visit of the Chairman of the Prosperity Party of Ethiopia will bring the relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Prosperity Party as well as the friendship and cooperation between the two countries to a new stage, developing more deeply and effectively.

General Secretary To Lam highly appreciated the outstanding achievements that the country and people of Ethiopia have achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and the Prosperity Party in maintaining political stability and socio-economic development, making Ethiopia, the oldest independent country on the continent, a bright spot in economic growth for many consecutive years, one of the large economies with an important role in Africa.

General Secretary To Lam believes that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and the Prosperity Party will continue to lead the Government and people of Ethiopia to build a peaceful, stable and developed Ethiopia; increasingly enhance the prestige and position of the country, and contribute more to peace, stability and development in the region and the world; and affirm the importance of establishing official relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) of Ethiopia.

Regarding bilateral relations, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the friendship and cooperation with African friends, including Ethiopia. The General Secretary suggested that the two sides study and identify a number of priority areas of cooperation in the coming period based on the potential and needs of both sides, especially in the fields of agriculture, trade, investment, science and technology, and connecting people and businesses. The General Secretary welcomed the plan of Ethiopian Airlines to launch a new route from Addis Ababa to Hanoi in July 2025, which will be the first route directly connecting Vietnam with Africa.

Visiting Vietnam for the first time, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali thanked the leaders of the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their warm and friendly welcome; expressed his admiration for the history of the steadfast struggle for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people, the remarkable development achievements of Vietnam under the wise leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and wished that Vietnam would share its experience in rapid and sustainable socio-economic development and environmental protection. The Ethiopian Prime Minister believes that Vietnam will successfully organize the P4G Summit, affirming its important position and role in the international arena and demonstrating its capacity and prestige in taking on global responsibilities.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali expressed his delight at the recent development of relations between the two ruling parties; said that the Prosperity Party is currently one of the largest political parties in Africa with more than 15 million members, and said that the two parties have similarities to share and learn from each other's experiences; agreed with the General Secretary's opinion on strengthening relations between the two parties to create a solid political foundation for bilateral cooperation; emphasized the desire of the Party, State and Government of Ethiopia to develop cooperative relations in many fields with Vietnam, especially in the fields of investment, science and technology, agriculture, education and training, people-to-people exchange, etc.

The two leaders agreed to continue to increase delegation exchanges at all levels through all channels; the two ruling parties will increase exchanges, contacts, training, and experience sharing between the two parties, and increase exchanges to promote friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam welcomed the signing of a number of documents by both sides during the visit; he suggested that relevant agencies of the two countries actively negotiate to soon sign more documents to complete the legal framework, creating favorable conditions for promoting bilateral cooperation. The General Secretary also suggested that both sides soon open representative offices in each country to support promoting cooperation in the coming time.

General Secretary To Lam said that both Vietnam and Ethiopia are responsible for regional and global issues, suggesting that the two countries continue to coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations, especially the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and act as a bridge to promote relations with important organizations of which both sides are members such as ASEAN and the African Union (AU).

Ethiopian Prime Minister and Chairman of the Prosperity Party Abiy Ahmed Ali expressed his wish to welcome General Secretary To Lam to visit Ethiopia in the near future. General Secretary To Lam thanked him and said he will arrange to visit Ethiopia to continue discussing measures to promote relations between the two Parties and countries./.

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/tong-bi-thu-hoan-nghenh-viec-mo-duong-bay-ket-noi-truc-tiep-viet-nam-voi-chau-phi-102250415210841997.htm