Cairo (VNA) – Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah el-Sisi’s official visit to Vietnam from September 6-7 is expected to usher
in a new chapter in the bilateral relationship, according to Egypt’s Al Messa
daily on September 3.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al Messa Rifaat Khaled wrote in his article that this
is the first visit to Vietnam by an Egyptian President since the two countries
established diplomatic ties in 1963.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit, which is
made at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang, is of significance as it
will help open up many opportunities for the two sides to strengthen their
cooperation in politics, diplomacy and economy, Khaled said.
The article noted that 2017 is an important year of
the bilateral ties, saying it also marks Vietnam’s new integration steps
through hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)’s meetings.
As the host of APEC 2017, Vietnam has a great
opportunity to promote relations with partners in the region while enhancing
its role and position in the international arena, according to the article.
Khaled also stressed that President el-Sisi pays due
attention to global peace and stability, which will also be discussed by the
President and his Vietnamese counterpart.
Applauding Vietnam’s role in ASEAN, he said Egypt
backs Vietnam’s consistent policy of maintaining regional security, peace and
stability; the intensification of interests shared by ASEAN members and countries
in the region; as well as the agreement on ASEAN connectivity in enhancing
peace, stability and navigation freedom in the East Sea
Vietnam and Egypt have supported each other at
multilateral forums, the article said, stressing that Egypt backed Vietnam’s membership
of the UN Human Rights Council during 2014-2016, as well as the International
Law Commission for the 2017-2020 tenure.
In response, Vietnam supported Egypt’s engagement in
the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in September 2016. The
Vietnamese side has called for Egypt’s backing of the country’s candidacy for a
seat in the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, the article said.
Vietnam supports and appreciates the Egyptian
Government’s economic reform programmes, Khaled said, adding that the Egyptian
side attaches importance to Vietnam’s experience in economic and tourism
development.
He said tourism is one of Vietnam’s economic spearheads
with a turnover of 16 billion USD in 2015, equivalent to 9.3 percent of the country’s
GDP.
Vietnam is making every effort to further boost the
tourism industry, aiming to attract 55 million international tourists in 2050,
Khaled said.
Vietnam is forecast to become one of the fastest
growing economies in the world by 2050, he noted.-VNA