Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn meets the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo

NEW ZEALAND — Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn proposed New Zealand resume direct flights between the two countries soon at a meeting with the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe on Wednesday.

Minister Sơn is on an official visit to New Zealand at the invitation of New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta.

This is Sơn’s first official visit to the nation and the first ministerial visit by a Southeast Asian country to New Zealand since it opened its borders on August 1.

He stressed that Việt Nam always opens its door to foreign trade, investment and tourism, especially with New Zealand.

He congratulated New Zealand on its socio-economic development and praised the country’s support for regional countries, including Việt Nam, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sơn suggested the government and House of Representatives of New Zealand create conditions for the Vietnamese community to live in and integrate into the host country’s society and make it easy for Vietnamese students to study in the country after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaker of New Zealand’s House of Representatives Rurawhe expressed his delight at the developing friendship between the two countries and legislative bodies.

The parliament of New Zealand attaches great importance to Việt Nam and will actively push ministries, sectors, and localities to expand cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation, he said.

He hopes Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ will visit New Zealand to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two legislative bodies and the strategic partnership between the two countries, as both countries are on the path of socio-economic recovery and development.

He spoke highly of the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation and expressed support for proposals to maintain the exchange of delegations and high-level meetings and the implementation of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, as well as the bolstering of multifaceted cooperation. This is especially promising in climate change adaptation, marine environment protection, green and sustainable growth, and implementing commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).

He also praised the Vietnamese community in New Zealand, hoping that more Vietnamese students would study in his country, strengthening the understanding between the two peoples.

Regarding regional and international cooperation, the two sides said they would maintain cooperation and coordination at multilateral mechanisms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the United Nations, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development based on respect to international law and the UN Charter. — VNS