Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ and President of the Mexican Senate Olga Sanchez Cordero had virtual talks late Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ affirmed Việt Nam’s wish to enhance traditional ties with Mexico during virtual talks with President of the Mexican Senate Olga Sanchez Cordero late Monday.

Chairman Huệ emphasised that Việt Nam would forever keep in mind Mexico’s precious support for its struggle for national independence and reunification, adding it always treasures and wishes to promote traditional relations with Latin American countries, including Mexico, to a new level.

He said Việt Nam hoped to enhance connections with Mexico via the Party, governmental, parliamentary and people-to-people channels.

Despite geographical distance and the COVID-19 pandemic’s serious impacts in recent years, the two sides had flexibly and effectively maintained the political consultation and the joint committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation, which had reflected the common resolve to sustain and reinforce bilateral ties.

Asking the two sides to continue increasing all-level mutual visits, especially by their senior leaders, he invited the Senate President to pay an official visit to Việt Nam and also conveyed a similar invitation from Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

At the talks, the two parliamentary leaders applauded the encouraging outcomes in their countries’ relations in the recent past.

Despite the pandemic’s impacts on global trade, bilateral trade turnover still rose 37.5 per cent year on year to US$5.06 billion in 2021 and stood at $2.33 billion in the first five months of 2022.

They held that there remained much room and potential for economic and trade links, especially when both countries are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The parliaments of Việt Nam and Mexico should facilitate businesses’ access to each other’s markets and capitalise on the CPTPP’s preferential treatment so as to foster economic and trade ties, they said.

Huệ noted Việt Nam was ready to work with Mexico to further promote trade relations in a more balanced manner and create conditions for the two countries’ enterprises to increase investment in each other’s markets.

Cordero said the Mexican parliament supported the countries’ negotiation, finalisation and signing of important cooperation deals such as an agreement on customs cooperation, an agreement on double taxation avoidance and another on cooperation in higher education, thus creating a legal basis for bilateral collaboration to develop stably and sustainably.

The two top legislators also highly valued the partnerships in defence, culture, education and traditional medicine.

Huệ underlined Việt Nam’s readiness to boost defence - security ties, particularly in policy exchange, maritime security, participation in the peacekeeping force, terrorism and transnational crime fight, and defence personnel training.

Meanwhile, Cordero also agreed to bolster partnerships in cross-border crime combat and other priority issues in security.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the Vietnamese NA Chairman spoke highly of the close coordination and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums such as the United Nations when both served as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (Việt Nam in 2020-21 and Mexico in 2021-22) and are currently members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Forum for East Asia - Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). They are also working together to effectively implement the CPTPP.

He thanked Mexico for advocating Việt Nam’s candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for 2023-25 and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for 2023-28.

He expressed his hope for continued mutual support at multilateral forums, adding that Việt Nam would be ready to support Mexico to enhance cooperation with other ASEAN countries.

The Mexican Senate President held that the two countries shared many common values on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, friendship and multilateralism. She also affirmed her country’s support for Việt Nam at multilateral forums.

The leaders shared the view that the two parliaments should strongly promote the governments’ establishment of a comprehensive partnership between Việt Nam and Mexico. They also spoke highly of parliamentary cooperation in bilateral and multilateral aspects and affirmed the important role of this cooperation in enhancing bilateral ties.

They agreed to boost delegation exchanges between the parliaments’ leaders, specialised agencies and friendship groups, increase sharing of experience, and maintain consultation, coordination and mutual support at multilateral cooperation mechanisms as well as regional and international parliamentary forums.

They agreed to coordinate closely to further step up relations between the Vietnamese and Mexican States, parliaments and people, voicing their belief that the bilateral friendship and cooperation would keep thriving for the sake of their people and for regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development. — VNS