Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang had an official meeting with President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain Meritxell Batet in Madrid as part of his trip. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Nhất

MADRID — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang affirmed Việt Nam’s determination to work together with Spain in elevating the two countries' strategic partnership to a new period of development while meeting with President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain Meritxell Batet in Madrid on March 1.

The meeting marked the start of the Deputy PM's official visit to the European country.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, the host leader affirmed that Spain always treasures and wishes to enhance multifaceted ties with Việt Nam, as well as the comprehensive partnership and cooperation between the EU and Việt Nam, especially when her country holds the EU Council Presidency in the latter half of 2023.

She applauded the progress in the two countries’ multifaceted cooperation for the last more than 45 years, especially in economy and trade, and perceived that there remains much room for cooperation, particularly in culture and people-to-people exchange.

Batet highly valued the close coordination between the Spanish and Vietnamese parliaments at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums. She also welcomed Việt Nam’s proposal on increasing exchanges between the countries’ parliamentarians to boost mutual understanding and parliamentary ties.

For his part, Deputy PM Quang thanked the Spanish parliament for early ratifying the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and asked Spain to push for other EU countries’ parliaments’ ratification of the deal, thus facilitating equal and mutually beneficial investment links between the two sides and helping create optimal conditions for Spanish firms to operate in Việt Nam.

At the meeting, both host and guest agreed to step up mutual visits, including those between specialised committees of the two parliaments to share legislative information and experience, and support stronger ties at multilateral forums like the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) meeting.

They voiced their belief that the cooperation between the Vietnamese and Spanish parliaments will continue enjoying positive strides both in bilateral aspects and at multilateral forums.

The two sides also concurred in continuing to strongly promote the pillar of investment and trade; expanding cooperation to potential fields such as culture, sports, tourism, education - training, and agriculture; and jointly responding to global issues like food security and climate change.

The President of the Spanish lower house also recognised Việt Nam’s efforts, pledging support to persuade the European Council to soon lift the IUU fishing warning for Việt Nam’s fishery exports.

Quang and Batet exchanged viewpoints on the regional and global issues of common concern.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, they affirmed the support for guaranteeing security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, and for peacefully resolving disputes in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, Deputy PM Quang asked Spain to continue providing favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate into the host society and serve as a bridge for the bilateral friendship.

Also on March 1, he met with representatives of Vietnamese people in Spain. — VNS