Mekong Delta and Middle East-Africa: Strengthening supply chain connectivity for shared prosperity

On August 22, in Tay Ninh, the Conference “Connecting the Mekong Delta agricultural supply chain with the Middle East-Africa: The strategic role of the UAE” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province and the UAE Embassy in Vietnam was a great success.

Delegates take souvenir photos.

Attending and delivering opening remarks at the conference were Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs ; Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee and Mr. Bader Almatrooshi, UAE Ambassador to Vietnam.

The conference gathered more than 100 delegates who are officials from departments, branches, and representatives of many enterprises and associations in Tay Ninh, Can Tho, An Giang , Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Ca Mau and UAE; including large enterprises cooperating with Vietnam such as DP World, LuLu, Emirates Airlines, Abu Dhabi Ports; and member associations and enterprises such as Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and VietGate.

In her opening speech, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized that Vietnam attaches importance to developing relations with Middle East-Africa partners, prioritizing promoting the comprehensive partnership with the UAE.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang delivered the opening speech at the Conference.

Proposing to coordinate the implementation of specific projects, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang hopes that the UAE will support Vietnam in areas such as developing high-tech agriculture , expanding logistics infrastructure, green tourism and building industrial parks meeting Halal standards in the S-shaped country.

In an online message sent to the Conference, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE Ministry of Economy, emphasized his commitment to supporting and facilitating Vietnamese businesses, considering Vietnam a strategic partner in the region.

Meanwhile, UAE Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi introduced the Middle Eastern country's sustainable development orientation and highly appreciated the potential for cooperation between the UAE and Vietnamese localities, especially the Mekong Delta region.

Overview of the Conference "Connecting the agricultural supply chain of the Mekong Delta with the Middle East-Africa: The strategic role of the UAE".

The discussion session, chaired by Ms. Nguyen Phuong Tra, Director of the Middle East - Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, exchanged specific perspectives from localities, Vietnamese enterprises and UAE enterprises in developing supply chains for agricultural products of the Mekong Delta; thereby, connecting to the UAE market and the Middle East and Africa.

Mr. La Trong Ky, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho, said that the city has developed concentrated agricultural raw material areas that meet standards for stable domestic consumption and export. The orientation of expanding the city's agricultural and aquatic product consumption market according to Halal certification requirements is an important trend in the agricultural and food export strategy of Can Tho city towards the Middle East market and other countries in the world.

In addition, the speeches of businesses from the UAE focused on logistics, infrastructure, and updates on market trends and needs. Mr. Nicolas Tronel, Country Director of DP World in Vietnam, shared effective logistics solutions to help optimize the supply chain from the Mekong Delta to the UAE, and proposed proposals for developing a multi-modal transport and supply infrastructure ecosystem.

Representatives of Emirates Airlines focused on clarifying the role of aviation in transporting goods, as well as the potential of the Middle East market.

LuLu Group - a company currently distributing more than 300 products to Vietnam in its supermarket system in the UAE, said that Vietnamese products are extremely suitable for the needs and tastes of the UAE market. The company is currently strengthening cooperation with local manufacturers, improving logistics, and seeking opportunities to distribute new products.

Discussion session at the Conference.

From an expert perspective, statements by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the Vietnam Association of Science and Technology Enterprises and the Institute of West Asia, South Asia and Africa Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, informed about the Halal certification system, a mandatory requirement when exporting to Muslim markets.

Experts also assessed that the UAE and Vietnam are two markets with many similarities and can complement each other: the UAE can be a gateway for Vietnam to access the GCC market, and vice versa, Vietnam plays a role in connecting GCC-ASEAN cooperation.

The conference was a great success, opening up many new directions for agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region, affirming the UAE's strategic role as a bridge in promoting trade between Vietnam and the Middle East-Africa region.

This is an opportunity to strengthen connectivity and take advantage of the UAE's role as a logistics and trade center, a leading economic partner and also the only comprehensive partner of Vietnam in the Middle East and Africa, to bring agricultural products of the Mekong Delta to this potential market.

On the same morning, within the framework of the activities to implement the Project "Strengthening international cooperation to build and develop Vietnam's Halal industry by 2030", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also coordinated with the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province to organize a course to update knowledge and foreign affairs skills to improve capacity in developing the Halal market for local foreign affairs officials and civil servants in the Mekong Delta region.

The training course attracted nearly 100 trainees who are civil servants, public employees working in foreign affairs and international integration, and local enterprises. Here, trainees listened to the reporters of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences discuss the content of "Global Halal market: potential and international cooperation activities to develop Vietnam's Halal industry" and "Halal standards, certification and some notes for businesses".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dong-bang-song-cuu-long-va-trung-dong-chau-phi-tang-cuong-ket-noi-chuoi-cung-ung-vi-su-thinh-vuong-chung-325347.html