Armenian National Assembly Chairman Alen Simonyan (right) welcomed Vietnamese counterpart Trần Thanh Mẫn to their talks in Yerevan of Armenia on April 3. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

YEREVAN — Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and Armenian counterpart Alen Simonyan held talks on Thursday in the Armenian capital city Yerevan, following the official welcome ceremony for the former.

Chairman Alen Simonyan extended a warm welcome to Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, his spouse, and the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese parliament, expressing his honour at hosting and meeting Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn again in Armenia. He recalled his memorable visit to Việt Nam in November 2024, highlighting his deep impressions of the country and its people.

Recalling President Hồ Chí Minh’s visit to Armenia in July 1959, Chairman Mẫn emphasised that his current visit, along with Speaker Simonyan’s trip to Việt Nam in November 2024, would serve as a driving force for strengthening friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Congratulating Armenia on its achievements in political and social stability, economic development and international standing, Chairman Mẫn also shared Việt Nam's significant economic and social progress in 2024 and its major directions for 2025 towards a new era of national prosperity. He reaffirmed Việt Nam's long-standing appreciation for its traditional friendship with Armenia, acknowledging Armenia’s support during Việt Nam's struggle for independence and national development. He expressed a desire to further enhance bilateral cooperation across all channels, including Party, State, Government, Parliament and people-to-people exchanges.

To further parliamentary cooperation, the Vietnamese top legislator announced the establishment of the Việt Nam-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group, expressing confidence that the activities of the friendship parliamentary groups in both countries would facilitate increased exchanges and collaboration, fostering closer ties between Việt Nam and Armenia as well as their legislatures.

Armenia's top legislator expressed strong agreement with the Vietnamese proposals, affirming that Armenia highly values Việt Nam not only as a friend but also as a key economic and trade partner in the region. He noted that Armenia would host the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP 17) in 2026 and expressed his hope for Việt Nam's high-level participation in the event.

Both parliamentary leaders agreed that bilateral relations had witnessed positive developments across multiple fields, yet there remained untapped potential for further cooperation. They concurred on the need to increase high-level exchanges and engagements to bolster political trust and facilitate collaboration in various sectors.

Vietnamese and Armenian parliament leaders witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between their respective parliaments on April 3. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

The two leaders welcomed the signing of a cooperation agreement between their respective parliaments during this visit, which provides a legal framework for strengthening legislative collaboration. They agreed to enhance high-level parliamentary exchanges, cooperation between parliamentary committees, and interactions among friendship groups, young parliamentarians and female legislators. Both sides committed to reinforcing coordination and information-sharing among specialised committees and parliamentarians, particularly in legislative and supervisory activities. Furthermore, they pledged to oversee the effective implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements, especially those that foster economic and trade cooperation.

Both sides acknowledged the positive growth in bilateral trade, particularly since the Việt Nam-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement took effect in 2016. However, despite reaching nearly US$500 million in two-way trade in 2024, trade relations remained unstable.

To enhance economic cooperation, Chairman Mẫn called on Armenia to facilitate Vietnamese businesses’ access to the Armenian and EAEU markets, particularly through mechanisms under the Việt Nam-EAEU FTA. He advocated for increased policy and market information exchange, enabling businesses to participate in investment and trade promotion activities, industry-specific fairs and international exhibitions in both countries. He also urged both sides to address challenges faced by businesses investing in each other’s markets and to identify potential goods for bilateral trade diversification.

Recognising the significant potential for cooperation in culture, tourism, education and training, transport and local exchanges, the two countries' parliament leaders agreed to strengthen partnerships between Vietnamese and Armenian localities to maximise these opportunities.

Armenian National Assembly Chairman Alen Simonyan (right) and Vietnamese counterpart Trần Thanh Mẫn planted a commemorative tree symbolising Việt Nam-Armenia friendship at the Armenia National Assembly building on April 3. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

On this occasion, Chairman Mẫn proposed that Armenia support and encourage cultural exchange initiatives to promote mutual understanding among the younger generations and strengthen bilateral friendship. He also suggested exploring the establishment of an Armenia-Việt Nam Friendship Association in Armenia.

The two parliamentary leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining close coordination and mutual support in multilateral parliamentary forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly (APF). They pledged to contribute proactively to regional and global peace and stability.

As an active ASEAN and AIPA member, Chairman Mẫn affirmed Việt Nam's willingness to serve as a bridge for Armenia’s engagement with ASEAN, AIPA and other member parliaments. He also urged continued cooperation in regional and international forums, supporting ASEAN’s and Việt Nam's stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), advocating for peaceful dispute resolution based on international law, the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). — VNS

Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn visits Armenia's National Asembly building in Yerevan. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn