NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung’s official visits to the European
Parliament (EP), Belgium and the UK from Dec. 4-11 were of great
significance, realising the country’s socio-economic development
orientations.
That is the comment made by Tran Van
Hang, Head of the NA Committee for External Relations, while answering
queries of reporters accompanying the high-ranking NA delegation on its
tour to Europe .
The biggest success of the visit was
that Vietnam and the three partners have enhanced mutual understanding,
reached consensus on international and regional issues of mutual
concern and stepped up cooperation not only in economics and trade but
also in culture, healthcare, education, training, science, technology
and people-to-people diplomacy.
“Through the visit, we
deepened relations with the partners and helped them better understand
the guidelines in foreign affairs and socio-economic development
policies of the Party and the National Assembly,” Hang said.
The official said that the visit’s successes were beyond expectations
as the parliament’s external relations are one of the three important
channels of foreign affairs of the Vietnamese Party and State.
The establishment of the Vietnamese friends group in the EP during the
visit constituted specific evidence in the NA’s external affairs. The
group comprises wholehearted and faithful friends, who are devoted to
boosting relations between the EU and Vietnam .
In
addition, two business forums were successfully held in Belgium and
the UK , with the attendance of managers, government officials,
parliamentarians and businessmen from giant economic groups of the two
countries.
Hang stressed that the NA Chairman’s
visits formed part of a programme to renovate operations of the 13 th
legislature, in which parliamentary external relations are one of the
leading contents.
The EP and the Parliaments of
Belgium and the UK all highly evaluated and looked forward to the
visits of the Vietnamese delegation.
In particular,
the Speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives went up the plane to
welcome NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. That was an unprecedented action
in normal practice, Hang noted.
While in the UK ,
Prince Andrew chaired the Vietnam-UK business forum personally and gave
a reception to the Vietnamese legislative leader. The prince said this
is a golden time in the Vietnam-UK relationship and the two sides should
step up cooperative programmes and projects.
The
official also revealed that the Lord Mayor of the City of London
pledged to assist Vietnam in the finance-banking sector./.
.jpg)
