Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Boubazine Abdelhamid (L) meets Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung, President of the Vietnam-Algeria Friendship Association (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria).

The diplomat held that bilateral trade has remained modest at 231 million USD in 2021, down from 360 million USD in the previous year due to COVID-19 impacts.

In terms of investment, the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) is currently the only Vietnamese investor in Algeria, he said, stressing the need to further expand economic and trade collaboration between the two countries.

Highlighting the mutual support of the two sides in the history, the diplomat noted that Vietnam was the first country to recognise the provisional government of the Algerian Republic in 1958 and the first to open its embassy in Algeria in 1962 right after Algeria gained independence.

Vietnam and Algeria will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, which is a good chance for both sides to specify their cooperation agreements, contributing to reinforcing and developing the bilateral relations, he said.

Regarding cooperation priorities in 2022, the diplomat said that the two sides will organise the 12th meeting of the Algeria-Vietnam Cooperation Committee and the Algerian Culture Week in Vietnam this year.

Commenting on socio-economic achievements of Vietnam in recent years, he spoke highly of the vision of Vietnamese leaders that has been shown in proper decisions, helping Vietnam record breakthrough steps forwards and become a success model.

Sharing his feelings about Vietnamese traditional New Year Festival (Tet), he said that he experienced the first Tet in Vietnam and was strongly impressed by the diversity of flowers in the festival.

He said that there are many similarities between Vietnamese Tet and Algeria’s Yennayer festival, especially in the diversity of traditional food and decoration.

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year, the ambassador extended best wishes to Vietnamese people, expressing his hope that the two countries will harvest new successes in their partnership in all fields.