The welcoming ceremony for National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and his spouse at Zvartnots International Airport, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. — VNA/VNS Photo

YEREVAN — Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Trần Thanh Mẫn, his spouse Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga, and the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese NA arrived in Yerevan on late April 1 (local time), starting an official visit to Armenia at the invitation of President of the Armenian NA Alen Simonyan.

Officials welcoming the delegation at Zvartnots International Airport included Vice President of the Armenian NA Hakob Arshakyan, Armenian Ambassador to Việt Nam Suren Baghdasaryan, head of the Armenia – Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group Hasmik Hakobyan, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia and Armenia Đặng Minh Khôi.

Since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, their traditional friendship has been flourishing, with Armenia viewing Việt Nam as an important partner in Southeast Asia.

The two sides have maintained mutual visits and meetings at all levels, including the meeting between Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of the Francophonie Summit in October 2024, and the official visit to Việt Nam by NA President Alen Simonyan in November the same year.

The countries have coordinated with and supported each other at multilateral forums and frameworks, including the United Nations and the Francophone community.

Cooperation between the two parliaments have been maintained, particularly since the Việt Nam visit by the Armenian NA President. Previously, they had mainly held meetings on the sidelines of multilateral conferences and forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF). The Armenian NA set up the Armenia – Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group in 2021.

Economic, trade, and investment ties have also been promoted in recent years following the entry into force of the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in 2016. Bilateral trade reached US$342 million in 2023 and approximated $500 million last year.

During his trip, Chairman Mẫn is scheduled to have talks and meetings with the top leaders of Armenia, received the head of the Armenia – Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group, attended a bilateral business forum, and visited some local cultural and economic establishments.

The official visit is a demonstration of Việt Nam’s consistent policy of treasuring and promoting relations with the countries it has traditional friendship with, including Armenia. The two sides will also discuss measures for fostering parliamentary cooperation and facilitating bilateral partnerships, especially in economy, trade, investment, education, training, and culture. — VNS