Tanzanian PM Calls on Vietnamese Investment

Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has expressed his desire to further boost the traditional friendly relations and multi-faceted cooperation between Tanzania and Vietnam, calling on Vietnamese businesses to invest in the foreign country’s agriculture, garments, textiles, tourism and natural gas, state media reported.

 

The government leader of the United Republic of Tanzania made the call during talks and discussions with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung and other Vietnamese top leaders in Hanoi on September 5.

 

The Tanzanian PM also expressed his admiration of the significant achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people during the country's renewal process and Vietnam’s struggle for independence and freedom in the past, highly speaking of the Southeastern Asian country’s role, position in the regional and international arena and in the Non-aligned movement (NAM) and expressing Tanzania’s strong support for Vietnam's candidacy of a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term as well as its bid for the World Trade Organization membership.

 

For his part, Dung highlighted Lowassa's visit as an affirmation of the fine ties between Vietnam and Tanzania, serving as a motivation in further boosting the traditional ties and growing multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries, noting the Communist Party of Vietnam’s, State’s foreign policy to diversify and multi-lateralize its international relations and attach great importance to boosting the relationship with traditional friendly countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as hailing Tanzania’s important place.

 

The Vietnamese government leader also proposed that both governments adopt measures to diversify cooperation aspects and forms, especially the tripartite cooperation between Vietnam and Tanzania and a sponsor that can be a third developed country or an international agency in a bid to raise the relationship to a new height of development and meet the interests and aspirations of the two countries’ people.

 

PM Dung did suggest the Tanzanian government consider the opening of a representative office in Vietnam as soon as possible to boost the exchange of information on bilateral cooperation to a regular basis and in an effective way.

 

PM Lowassa said Tanzania would open a representative office immediately when its financial conditions permit.

 

Both PMs agreed to facilitate exchanges of visits and information at ministerial, sectoral and enterprise levels so as to reach concrete agreements of cooperation, especially in tourism, and production of farm products, textiles and garments.

 

Premier Edward Lowassa who is taking his first outbound tour to Asia since he took office early this year arrived in Vietnam with an entourage consisting of around 40 top officials and business representatives.

 

On the same day, the beginning of the five-day working visit, the first outbound tour to Asia and Vietnam with entourage of around of 40 top officials at the invitation of PM Nguyen Tan Dung, Edward Lowassa is scheduled to meet with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong to discuss ways to boost bilateral parliament and party cooperation.

 

During the talks with Party chief Nong Duc Manh and parliament speaker Nguyen Phu Trong, Edward Lowassa hailed and wanted to learn Vietnam’s achievements in poverty reduction and agricultural production, especially exporting of agricultural produces.

 

The both sides are also expected to ink a framework agreement on economic cooperation, trade, science and technology and an accord to set up a joint committee between the two governments on this occasion.

 

Vietnam and Tanzania’s diplomatic relations were set up on February 14, 1965. However, the bilateral trade exchange is not on par with the potentials of the two countries.

 

Last year, the two-way trade turnover was $19 million, of which import value to Vietnam from Tanzania was $2.3 million with main commodities being cashew nuts, cotton and wood and export value from Vietnam to Tanzania was $16.5 million including garments, rubber, rice, spare parts, electronic components and computers.

 

Tanzania’s agriculture sector currently dominates the domestic economy, providing more than 46 per cent of GDP and 80 per cent of employment. Cash crops, including coffee, tea, cotton, cashews, sisal, cloves, and pyrethrum, account for the vast majority of export earnings. Tanzania’s GDP last year reached $26.6 billion with a growth rate of 6.1 per cent, up from 5.2 per cent in 2004.