Prime Minister begins Algeria visit

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived at Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers capital city on May 31, beginning an official visit at the invitation of his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is welcomed by his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal at Houari Boumedienne Airport.

Following an official welcome ceremony chaired by Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, the two Prime Ministers laid wreaths at the monument for fallen soldiers and visited the veterans’ museum in Algiers.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung is scheduled to speak at the Algeria International Fair and attend the Vietnam-Algeria business dialogue the same day.

Algeria and Vietnam formed diplomatic ties on October 28, 1962. Vietnam opened an embassy in Algiers a month later, while Algeria set up its embassy in Hanoi in April 1968.

Vietnam’s major exports to Algeria include coffee, rice, phones and spare parts. In the first quarter of this year, exports to Algeria rose by 1% compared to last year to US$68.6 million, including US$35.27 million from phones and spare parts, US$18.24 million from coffee and US$2.6 million from rice. Algeria is currently Vietnam’s third largest African importer.

In terms of investment, PetroVietnam is conducting oil exploration and exploitation missions in Algeria and is expected to start commercial operations this June. Nearly 1,200 Vietnamese workers work for contractors from Japan and China in the African country.

The two countries have signed dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding on economics, science and technology, trade, maritime transport, health care and education cooperation.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)