Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân and Chairman of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam always treasures the sound traditional friendship with Kazakhstan, affirmed Vice President Nguyễn Thị Ánh Xuân at a meeting with Chairman of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev in Kazakhstan on October 12.

On the day, Xuân began her trip to the country to attend the sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and conduct a number of bilateral activities.

At her meeting with Ashimbayev, the Vietnamese official expressed her delight at progress recorded in political ties between the nations via maintaining exchanges of their State and parliament delegations.

She conveyed to her host an invitation to visit Việt Nam from Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ.

Lauding tight and effective collaboration between the two parliaments, the officials agreed to further the ties via boosting the exchange of delegations and experiences on legislative works and coordinating in monitoring and promoting the effective implementation of bilateral agreements.

Xuân suggested the countries capitalise on opportunities brought about by the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU - including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) as well as on an official direct air route expected to be launched soon.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, they agreed that all disputes and conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of international law.

Also on the same day, Xuân received Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, Executive Director of the CICA Secretariat; and Meenakashi Lekhi, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and for Culture.

Hosting Sarybay, Xuân lauded CICA’s efforts for peace, stability, and prosperity over the past three decades.

She said she hopes CICA will continue to uphold its credo, aims, and operating principles; and support the positions of ASEAN and Việt Nam in order to ensure peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, and to settle disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of respecting the UN Charter and international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Vice President stated that Việt Nam will continue to make active and responsible contributions to CICA operations.

For his part, Sarybay hailed Việt Nam’s contributions at CICA and wished Việt Nam and other ASEAN member states back the formation of a partnership between the secretariats of CICA and ASEAN.

Meeting with Xuân, Lekhi, who heads the Indian delegation to the summit, affirmed her wish to further strengthen the Việt Nam-India comprehensive strategic partnership and recommended the sides increase their collaboration in trade-investment, clean energy development, economy, people and cultural exchanges; and tourism, particularly in the post-pandemic period.

Echoing the view, Xuân stated Việt Nam attaches importance to the bilateral partnership, proposing the increase of delegation exchange and programmes in economy, trade, tourism, and culture and the facilitation of goods transactions between the two markets.

On the day, the Vietnamese official also met the liaison committee of the Kazakhstan-Việt Nam Friendship Association; attended a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Việt Nam-Kazakhstan diplomatic relations; an event opening Vietjet Air’s direct air route between Cam Ranh of Việt Nam and Almaty of Kazakhstan. — VNS