National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (right) had talks with visiting Hungarian President Sulyok Tamas in Hà Nội on May 28. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on Wednesday afternoon met with Hungarian President Sulyok Tamas, who is on a three-day official visit to Việt Nam at the invitation of President Lương Cường.

Chairman Mẫn warmly welcomed President Tamas and his spouse, along with the Hungarian high-ranking delegation, on their official visit to Việt Nam, assessing the visit as an important event, which takes place at a time when Việt Nam and Hungary are celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations, and affirms the determination of leaders of the two countries in promoting bilateral relations.

He expressed his belief that, with the fine tradition of friendship and the determination of both sides, President Tamas' visit will open a new chapter in the Việt Nam–Hungary relationship, affirming that the Vietnamese NA is committed to accompanying the Government and relevant agencies to implement the agreements reached during this visit, helping to bring practical benefits to the people of the two countries.

The NA Chairman affirmed that Việt Nam always remembers and is grateful for the valuable support that Hungary gave Việt Nam in the past struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as in the current process of national construction and development. He thanked Hungary for helping Việt Nam train many officials with university and postgraduate degrees, who have made important contributions to the development of Việt Nam and fostered the friendship between the two countries’ people.

President Tamas thanked the leaders of the Party, State and NA of Việt Nam for their warm and respectful welcome to the high-ranking delegation of the Hungarian State. He expressed his impression and admiration for the great achievements that Việt Nam has made in socio-economic development and foreign affairs, and affirmed that Việt Nam is always Hungary's top priority partner in Southeast Asia.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the extremely positive development in the bilateral relationship, especially in politics and diplomacy, including the parliamentary channel. They highly appreciated the dynamic development in cooperation between the two parliaments in recent times with the two sides regularly exchanging delegations of parliament leaders and between committees and Friendship Parliamentarians' Groups; and closely coordinating at inter-regional and international parliamentary forums, especially the IPU.

Chairman Mẫn assessed that the cooperation between the two countries has developed dynamically in recent times, especially in the economic field, with two-way trade turnover in 2024 reaching nearly US$1 billion. However, these figures are not commensurate with the potential of the two countries. The two sides need to take advantage of and promote the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms, and make the best use of the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to raise bilateral trade turnover as well as investment in the coming time.

The top legislator highly appreciated Hungary as one of the first EU countries to ratify the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and requested Hungary to continue to support the parliaments of the remaining EU member countries to soon ratify the agreement.

The Hungarian President affirmed his support and promised to continue to urge the European Commission (EC) to soon remove its IUU “yellow card” against Việt Nam's seafood exports.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of semiconductors, nuclear energy, smart agriculture, pharmaceuticals, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, defence industry, water management, environment, climate change response; support each other in participating in supply chains and responding to global challenges.

Agreeing with the proposals of Chairman Mẫn, President Tamas emphasised that Hungary is always a trusted friend and supporter of Việt Nam at multilateral forums, especially within the EU. He affirmed that Hungary supports the enhancement of Việt Nam–EU relations.

The Vietnamese leader affirmed that in the context of complicated developments in the world, Vietnam is steadfast in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, multilateralisation and diversification, being a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community. He welcomed the plan to visit Việt Nam by the Chairman of the Hungarian NA in October 2025 and expressed his confidence that the trip would open a new chapter of cooperation in the relationship between the two parliaments.

Chairman Mẫn suggested the two NAs promote programmes to exchange young parliamentarians, organise regular bilateral parliamentary forums, and cooperate in building legal frameworks to support digital transformation and environmental protection; sharing experiences in monitoring the implementation of public policies, especially in areas such as water resources management and climate change response, where Hungary has strengths.

On this occasion, the top lawmaker thanked the Hungarian NA and authorities at all levels for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the European country to integrate and stabilise their lives.

President Tamas said that the friendship between the two countries, Vietnamese students who have studied and are studying in Hungary, as well as the Vietnamese community in Hungary are important resources for the development of the bilateral relations.

The two sides need to promote cooperation and exchanges between universities and friendship associations to enhance mutual understanding and connect cooperation in other fields, he said, promising to continue supporting the Vietnamese community to promote its role as a bridge to develop the cooperative relationship between the two countries. — VNS