President Lương Cường received Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee on August 29. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – President Lương Cường on August 29 received Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee, who is on an official visit to Việt Nam.

President Cường welcomed Brownlee to Việt Nam, noting that the trip is especially meaningful as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1975–2025) and Vietnam’s 80th National Day. He expressed his confidence that the visit will further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The President appreciated New Zealand as a reliable partner that has actively cooperated with and supported Việt Nam over the past five decades. He stressed that the upgrading of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in February 2025 opened up a new stage of cooperation, making the collaboration more comprehensive and deeper, at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

For his part, Speaker Brownlee said he was delighted to visit Vietnam at a time when the Vietnamese people are celebrating the National Day, calling it a special occasion to witness their national pride and patriotism. He thanked Việt Nam for the warm hospitality, expressed admiration for the country’s strong development over the past 80 years, and recognised Việt Nam’s growing role and position at regional and international forums. He affirmed that his country wishes to further enhance the friendship with the Southeast Asian nation.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the achievements in bilateral cooperation in various fields, particularly in education, agriculture, trade, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. They agreed to soon sign an Action Programme to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025-2030 with concrete measures across sectors.

They also underlined the need to strengthen political trust, increase visits and exchanges at all levels, especially high level, and foster closer defence and security cooperation. Both sides agreed to step up the sharing of information and assessments on regional and global issues.

Highlighting the importance of people-to-people exchanges, the leaders agreed to boost ties through cooperation in education, tourism, and trade. President Cường proposed that New Zealand increase scholarships for Vietnamese students and continue to support the Vietnamese community in the country.

Speaker Brownlee affirmed that New Zealand values the contributions of the Vietnamese community and is committed to creating favourable conditions for them.

The two leaders also shared common views on regional and international issues, and agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and ASEAN-led mechanisms. _ VNS