Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Phạm Trường Giang meets with Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Slovak National Council (Parliament) Marian Kery on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Slovak universities are always open doors to and hope to offer more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study and then return home to contribute to Việt Nam's development, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Slovak National Council (Parliament) Marian Kery said at a meeting on Thursday with Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Phạm Trường Giang.

Giang thanked Kery for his personal contributions to promoting relations between the two countries and for his ongoing support for Việt Nam in general and the Vietnamese community in Slovakia in particular.

He praised Kery’s important role in Slovakia’s recognition of the Vietnamese community as the 14th ethnic minority and in enhancing relations between the two legislatures.

Giang expressed his confidence that the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Slovakia will continue to be strengthened and developed through delegation exchanges at all levels, and by expanding cultural, educational, labour, and tourism exchanges.

For his part, Kery affirmed his commitment to continue contributing to mutual understanding between the parliaments and people of the two countries. He also assessed the Vietnamese community in Slovakia as a diligent and dynamic group, serving as a successful model of immigration and integration into local society.

Regarding Slovakia's foreign policy, Kery noted that while being a member of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Slovakia maintains an independent stance on certain issues, such as acknowledging the contributions of the Soviet Army in World War II, particularly in liberating Czechoslovakia from fascist rule, where Slovakia was part of it, with tens of thousands of soldiers sacrificing their lives.

Kery also reiterated his invitation to the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) and the Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs to visit Slovakia, and expressed his desire to visit Việt Nam in the coming time. — VNS