Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly Trần Quang Phương and Mayor of Bern city Alec von Graffenried. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Hiển

GENEVA — Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Trần Quang Phương and NA Secretary General Bùi Văn Cường had a meeting with First Vice President of the Grand Council of the Swiss canton of Bern Dominique Buhler and Secretary General of the Grand Council Patrick Trees on March 25.

The meeting was part of the Vietnamese NA delegation’s working trip to Switzerland.

The two sides discussed parliamentary cooperation and partnerships between the two countries’ localities, including Bern, to help develop the Việt Nam - Switzerland relations in a result-oriented manner in all spheres.

Phương called on Bern to continue supporting and creating optimal conditions for the Vietnamese community in Switzerland to settle down, integrate into the local society, and promote their role as a bridge for enhancing bilateral ties.

At the session, Trees shared the functions, tasks, and experience of the Bern Grand Council’s Secretariat in advising the Secretary General about relevant issues to ensure transparency, modernity, and professionalism in performance.

Also on March 25, the Vietnamese delegation had a working session with Mayor of Bern city Alec von Graffenried.

The NA Vice Chairman of Việt Nam briefed the hosts on the country’s socio-economic development achievements over nearly 40 years of Đổi mới (Renewal), along with its development targets and strategy.

He expressed his hope that relations between the two countries, their capital cities, and other localities will keep reaping fruitful results to contribute to peace, stability, prosperity, and development.

Mayor Graffenried noted he is impressed with the beauty of the Vietnamese land, people, and culture, adding he hopes to visit Việt Nam, its NA building, and Hà Nội City in the near future.

Earlier, Vice Chairman Phương and the NA delegation visited and met with members of Việt Nam’s Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland. — VNS