Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng (left) had talks with President of the Italian Senate Ignazio La Russa in Rome on July 26. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

ROME — Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng met with President of the Italian Senate Ignazio La Russa in Rome on July 26 as part of his State visit to the European country.

President Thưởng highlighted the importance of his visit as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership, affirming that Việt Nam always attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Italy, including the close cooperation between their legislative bodies.

Welcoming his guest, La Russa said the visit is the first at the head of state level between the two countries in seven years, forming an important milestone in the bilateral ties.

He applauded the strong progress in their multifaceted cooperation, underlined the friendship and solidarity between the two nations' peoples, and stated that Việt Nam is the most important partner of Italy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Senate President also voiced his support for Việt Nam to act as a bridge linking the Italian Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

The two leaders agreed that their countries will coordinate closely and support each other at inter-parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) so as to contribute to regional and global peace, cooperation, and development.

President Thưởng called on both sides to increase all-level delegation exchanges between the states, governments, and parliaments; maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums like the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU framework to jointly respond to regional and global issues; and step up partnerships in education - training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

La Russa agreed on his guest’s proposal to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to successfully integrate into the social and economic life of Italy and continue helping strengthen the bilateral friendship.

He also showed support for the two countries’ economic ties, noting that more than 100 Italian businesses are operating fruitfully in Việt Nam.

On this occasion, President Thưởng conveyed National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ’s invitation to visit Việt Nam to Senate President La Russa, who accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS