Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (left) and President of the Japanese House of Councillors Otsuji Hidehisa had talks on Monday in Tokyo. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

TOKYO — Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc met with the President of the Japanese House of Councillors Otsuji Hidehisa on Monday as he is visiting Japan for the State funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Expressing his deep condolences over the death of former PM Abe, President Phúc said cooperation between the Vietnamese and Japanese parliaments had recorded great strides in recent years.

Otsuji appreciated the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation's participation in the funeral, which reflects the country's respect for late PM Abe. He also highlighted the willingness to continue reinforcing bilateral cooperation, including parliamentary ties, as Abe wished.

President Phúc said he hoped the two countries would further increase cooperation activities, especially amid the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023, boost delegation exchanges at all levels, and enhance collaboration between their legislative bodies.

The Japanese upper house's leader shared his guest's view on the fields needing stronger cooperation, affirming that Việt Nam is an important partner for Japan, especially regarding economy, trade and human resources.

He noted the House of Councillors would continue advocating bilateral relations, particularly in infrastructure building, ODA provision, technology transfer, farm produce trading, labour, and locality-to-locality links.

To help strengthen bilateral ties, he hopes to visit Việt Nam and discuss issues of multifaceted cooperation, including parliamentary ties, with the country's leaders.

At the meeting, the two sides also agreed to maintain close cooperation in international issues and support the role and stance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), thereby contributing to regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development. — VNS