This was the highest-level delegation and Bictogo was the first President of the Côte d’Ivoire NA to have visit Vietnam in 48 years. While in Vietnam, Bictogo laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs; visited President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house in the Presidential Palace; paid a courtesy call to President Vo Van Thuong; met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; attended an official welcome ceremony and held talks with NA Chairman Hue, and joined an official banquet.
At the meetings, Bictogo suggested the two legislatures play a motivating role in further leveraging advantages in various sectors such as agriculture. Vietnamese enterprises could establish cashew processing factories in Côte d'Ivoire while all possible support will be offered to Vietnamese experts to train workforce in rice cultivation and mechanisation in the African country. He also mentioned the possibility of Côte d'Ivoire's import of mechanical products from Vietnam.
He called for Vietnam’s assistance in vocational training for young people of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the fields of computer science, mechanics, and electronics, adding that both sides should facilitate convenient travel between the two countries via establishing direct flight routes.
Agreeing with Bictogo’s proposal, Hue affirmed that Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge for Côte d'Ivoire’s goods to penetrate the ASEAN and Asian markets, as well as work with Côte d'Ivoire to increase the import of cashew nuts, cotton, cocoa, and especially to maintain and develop cooperative value chains in cashew cultivation, processing and export.
Efforts will be made to boost information exchange, trade promotion, investment, strengthen connections between associations, businesses, and diversify products for exchange. Côte d’Ivoire should expand the imports of products of Vietnam’s strength such as seafood, fertilizers, apparel, footwear, household appliances, construction materials, electronics and machinery, he said.
Vietnam is ready to offer all possible support for Côte d’Ivoire enterprises to do business in the Southeast Asian country and vice versa, Hue said, adding that to achieve this, cooperation in the banking sector is needed.
He urged Côte d’Ivoire to promptly respond to the draft Memorandum of Understanding on economic and trade cooperation and designate responsible authorities for the bilateral trade agreement with Vietnam.
He also asked for active negotiations toward the signing of cooperation documents, thus creating a legal framework for economic, trade and investment activities. Both sides vowed to facilitate exchanges between leaders, agencies and deputies of the two parliaments to share professional experience; monitor the effective implementation of international conventions and agreements signed by the two governments; support and boost connectivity and coordination between enterprises, as well as provide all possible assistance for businesses and citizens to do business stably in each nation.
On regional and global issues of mutual concern, they highlighted the continued utilisation of close coordination mechanisms in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF).
During the visit, the Côte d’Ivoire delegation held working sessions with several Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities. They also visited the NA House in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province./.
