National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (left) had talks with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan in Yerevan on April 3. — VNA/VNS Photo

YEREVAN — Việt Nam always values the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Armenia, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn told Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan during a meeting in Yerevan on Thursday (local time).

Chairman Mẫn said the Vietnamese people always remember the invaluable support extended by the Armenian people during Việt Nam's struggle for national independence and its ongoing journey of national construction and development.

He extended congratulations to Armenia for its significant achievements, particularly in socio-economic development and its rising stature on the global stage. He expressed Việt Nam's commitment to deepening political trust and fostering comprehensive and enduring cooperation that benefits both nations while contributing to peace, stability, and progress in the regions and the world.

Sharing Việt Nam's notable socio-economic achievements in 2024, Mẫn highlighted its key priorities for 2025 and beyond as the nation moves toward a new era of prosperity.

He briefed President Khachaturyan on the outcomes of his talks with the President of the Armenian NA, spotlighting the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two legislatures. The two sides also established the Armenia – Việt Nam and Việt Nam – Armenia parliamentary friendship groups to strengthen the countries' overall ties as well as legislative bonds.

President Khachaturyan, for his part, warmly welcomed the visit – the first by a high-ranking Vietnamese leader since bilateral diplomatic ties were established, hailing it as a landmark in advancing the traditional friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation.

He expressed profound admiration for President Hồ Chí Minh and praised Việt Nam as a heroic nation whose struggle for independence and socio-economic progress serves as an inspiring model for Armenia and others.

Building on a foundation of steadfast friendship and shared aspirations for national development, he affirmed that Armenia and Việt Nam will broaden collaboration in various areas, especially economy, health care, tourism, infrastructure, and transport connectivity, thereby maximising the potential of each nation.

Lauding the positive development of bilateral relations across multiple sectors, the leaders recognised the effectiveness of maintaining the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level, across all channels, which has reinforced mutual trust and cooperation in a way that benefits both nations.

They also commended the steady growth of economic and trade collaboration, particularly following the coming-into-force of the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union in 2016. Bilateral trade turnover reached US$342 million in 2023 and neared $500 million in 2024. The leaders also praised a recent business dialogue between the two countries, which helped connect their enterprises and promote investment cooperation.

Discussing major orientations to promote potential cooperation fields, they agreed that geographical distance should not be a barrier to strengthening ties.

They consented to enhance coordination between their parliaments, governments, and relevant agencies to establish a favourable legal framework and conditions for their businesses to connect and seek investment and partnership opportunities.

They pledged to improve information exchange on policies and market trends, address challenges faced by enterprises, and expand investment-trade cooperation in such key sectors such as light industry, food industry, agricultural product processing, and the production of modern building materials using Armenian resources.

The two sides also expressed interest in fostering collaboration in emerging fields, including aviation, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), and green transition.

Mẫn affirmed Việt Nam's readiness to apply its advanced technologies in joint projects related to telecommunications, industrial technology application, and tourism development.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of promoting cooperation in the fields of defence, security, education-training, culture, sports, people-to-people exchange and tourism. Mẫn suggested that Armenia support Việt Nam in training human resources in high technology while increasing student exchange programmes to foster mutual learning, knowledge sharing and cooperation for development.

In response, President Khachaturyan urged relevant agencies from both countries to implement favourable visa policies to facilitate travel for their citizens.

Regarding multilateral and regional cooperation, the two leaders consented that the two countries will continue to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF).

The top Vietnamese legislator affirmed that Việt Nam is ready to bridge Armenia and ASEAN. He also urged Armenia to support the stance of ASEAN and Việt Nam on the East Sea (known as the South China Sea) issue, resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

He announced that his country will host the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime in October in Hà Nội, inviting Armenia’s senior leaders to attend the event, contributing to global efforts in combating cybercrime.

Appreciating Việt Nam's organisation of this important event, the President informed that Armenia will be the host country of the United Nations Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in 2026 and hoped that Việt Nam will send high-ranking leaders to this conference.

On this occasion, NA Chairman Mẫn conveyed the invitations of Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and State President Lương Cường to President Khachaturyan to visit Việt Nam soon. The host leader accepted the invitations with pleasure, confirming that he would visit Việt Nam at a time convenient for both sides. — VNA/VNS