Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Trần Thanh Mẫn holds talks with First Officer of the Hungarian NA Márta Mátrai in Hà Nội on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Standing Vice-chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Trần Thanh Mẫn and First Officer of the Hungarian NA Márta Mátrai discussed measures to develop the cooperation between the two legislative bodies more practically and effectively during their talks held in Hà Nội on Thursday.

First Officer Márta is leading a high-ranking delegation from the Hungarian NA on a working visit to Việt Nam from January 18-22.

They appreciated that in spite of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral parliamentary cooperation between the two countries was ensured.

Last July, NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ held a phone talk with his Hungarian counterpart László Kövér to discuss ways to promote the relations between the two countries and two NAs in the future.

The two NAs established a bilateral friendship group of parliamentarians while parliamentarians of the two countries kept meeting, coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP).

They said the two NAs should continue organising such activities as well as exchanges and dialogues to share law building experience.

At the talks, Vice Chairman Mẫn spoke highly of the Hungarian delegation’s visit, saying that this was the first international delegation visiting and working with the NA of Việt Nam on the occasion of the new year.  

Mẫn said he believed that it would be a good start in the parliamentary relations between Việt Nam and Hungary as well as between Việt Nam and parliaments of other EU member countries.

The Vietnamese NA appreciated the progress in the relations between the two countries over the past years, particularly the development of the bilateral relations to the comprehensive partnership during the visit to Hungary by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in 2018, which demonstrated the determination of leaders of the two countries in promoting the bilateral relations.

Vice-Chairman Mẫn stressed that with a traditional friendship of over 70 years, Việt Nam always attached importance to enhancing the multi-faceted cooperation with Hungary – the first comprehensive partner of Việt Nam at Central and Eastern Europe.

Appreciating the effective cooperation between the two countries at multilateral platforms, Mẫn thanked the Hungarian Parliament for supporting the signing and approval of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The EVFTA, which took effect from August 2020, has created a strong motivation to promote trade exchanges and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and Hungary and other EU member countries.

Hungary was also the first member country of the EU to approve the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (IVIPA), he said.

He also expressed delights at the development of the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. Two-way trade turnover reached a record of US$1.3 billion in 2020, despite the pandemic’s impacts.

He said he appreciated that Hungary has considered Việt Nam as a priority partner in its ODA policy with a commitment of Euro 440 million of preferential loans to help implement projects in the fields of priority cooperation between the two countries.

First Officer Márta affirmed that Việt Nam was the most important foreign trade partner of Hungary in Southeast Asia.

She thanked Việt Nam for sending face masks and medical equipment for Hungary to support its COVID-19 prevention and control.

She wished that the Vietnamese NA would have supports to help realise cooperation agreements between the Governments, ministries, and sectors of the two countries. — VNS