At the meeting, the NA Chairman said parliamentary cooperation is an important channel in the implementation of Vietnam’s external policies. The Vietnamese legislature is keen to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation with parliaments across all continents, and has to date been a member of various regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations.

He asked President Julius Maada Bio to support the enhancement of the cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the Sierra Leonean Parliament, expressing his hope that the countries’ legislative bodies will foster cooperation, information and experience exchange; uphold their role in supervising and promoting the implementation of signed agreements; increase exchange of delegations; and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums.

He noted with satisfaction that the Vietnam-Sierra Leone relations have thrived in politics-diplomacy, agriculture and investment, affirming that Vietnam always treasures and hopes to foster the friendship and sound collaboration with African nations, including Sierra Leone, particularly in sectors with potential and room for cooperation.

President Julius Maada Bio said Vietnam has exerted great efforts to surmount numerous obstacles during the past 40 years to make strides in socio-economic development, adding that the two countries share similarities as they always strive to overcome difficulties for the sake of the people.  

He informed his host of the results of previous meetings with high-ranking leaders of Vietnam, stating that the two sides discussed different issues, both bilaterally and multilaterally, so as to support each other and produce measures to step up cooperation in fields in accordance with their potential and aspirations. 

Sierra Leone is paying attention to food production, agriculture, rural development, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, high technology in food and seafood processing. 

During the visit, his delegation will explore farming methods and experience of Vietnam, thereby boosting cooperation at all levels, he added.

The same day, President Julius Maada Bio paid a visit to the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) during which he highly valued Vietnam’s agricultural achievements, hoping that the Southeast Asian country will support and share experience with Sierra Leone in the field.

On the occasion, the VAAS and Sierra Leone inked a memorandum of understanding on increasing farming cooperation. 

President Julius Maada Bio is scheduled to attend activities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City on March 17-19.

The official trip to Vietnam by the President of Sierra Leone is the first visit by a head of state between the two countries. It is also a stride in bilateral relations in the context that African countries, including Sierra Leone, attach importance to the establishment and development of their cooperative ties with Asia-Pacific nations, including Vietnam.