National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ left Bulgaria's Burgas Airport for Hà Nội on Tuesday night (local time). — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vương Đình Huệ arrived in Hà Nội at noon on September 27, wrapping up his official visits to Bangladesh and Bulgaria.

The visits, lasting from September 21-26, were made at the invitations of Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and President of the NA of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov.

The top Vietnamese legislator and his entourage, including representatives from NA agencies, ministries, sectors and localities, engaged in a total of about 70 activities during the trips.

In Bangladesh, he held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Chaudhury; met with President Mohammed Shahabuddin; and received Chairman of the Bangladesh Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Faruk Khan, President of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Shah Alam, and President of the Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) Rashed Khan Menon. He also attended the inauguration of a photo exhibition on the 50th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

During his stay in Bulgaria, Huệ held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Zhelyazkov; had separate meetings with President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, and hosted receptions for Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Korneliya Ninova, and Chairwoman of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group Desislava Atanasova.

He signed memoranda of understanding on enhancing cooperation between the Vietnamese legislature and its Bangladeshi and Bulgarian counterparts.

Five cooperation agreements were also inked on this occasion, covering collaboration between the NA Office, ministries, sectors and localities of Việt Nam and their counterparts in Bangladesh and Bulgaria in such areas as culture and tourism.

In both nations, the Vietnamese leader delivered speeches in front of diplomats, scholars, professors, lecturers, students, researchers and the press regarding the global and regional situation, as well as the good traditional friendship between Việt Nam and the two countries. He also attended forums on policies and laws to promote bilateral economic, trade and investment ties.

He received representatives from friendship associations, major businesses of the two countries, and multi-national groups, visited the Vietnamese embassies, met with representatives of the Vietnamese communities in Bangladesh and Bulgaria, and made field trips to their economic facilities and localities.

For Bangladesh, the visit took place at the time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, thus contributing to consolidating and expanding the friendship as well as the effective, practical cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

It also demonstrated the Vietnamese NA’s commitments to foster cooperation with the Bangladeshi Parliament following the visit to Việt Nam by the Bangladeshi Speaker in 2017.

This was the most important political and diplomatic event between the two countries on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. It has been the first visit by a NA Chairperson, also the most senior leader of Việt Nam to Bangladesh since 2018.

For Bulgaria, it has been the first visit by a Vietnamese top legislator after the trip by then NA Chairman Nguyễn Phú Trọng in 2008. The visit has contributed to consolidating and strengthening the time-honoured friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries in general and their legislative bodies in particular, while accelerating the implementation of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Huệ appreciated and thanked the Bulgarian NA for its ratification of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) ahead of his visit.

The NA Chairman and leaders of the two countries also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern. — VNS