National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (right) with Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

VIENNA — National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ hosted a reception for Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong on Tuesday (local time) during his trip to the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP5) in Vienna, Austria.

The Vietnamese NA leader appreciated the contributions made by the IPU Secretary General to the organisation of the WCSP5, and the IPU’s activities amid the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and unpredictable changes in the world’s geopolitical situation.

The IPU Secretary General said the attendance of NA Chairman Huệ and the Vietnamese delegation at the WCSP5 again showed that Việt Nam is a responsible and active member of the IPU.

He shared the viewpoint expressed by the Vietnamese NA leader at the first plenary debate of the WCSP5 on promoting multilateral cooperation to respond to global challenges for the world’s development. He underlined the importance of parliaments in the world to the settlement of global issues, saying that he hopes Việt Nam will actively participate in the process.

The two sides compared notes on the role of the UN, the key organisation in multilateral cooperation, and valued the UN’s strong commitment as expressed in the messages of the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN General Assembly sent to the WCSP5.

Chungong also welcomed the proposal of Huệ to further reform and enhance the effectiveness of IPU’s operation and role.

Huệ suggested strengthening the tripartite partnership among the UN, IPU and Việt Nam, promoting more substantial engagement of parliamentary meeting mechanisms alongside UN activities, and increasing IPU’s support for Việt Nam in training in multilateral parliamentary diplomacy. —  VNS