Party General Secretary Tô Lâm meets First Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Paula Risikko in Helsinki on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HELSINKI — Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm met with First Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Paula Risikko on Wednesday as part of his ongoing official visit to Finland.

General Secretary Lâm commended the Finnish Parliament’s role in Finland’s political system, and lauded Risikko and other parliamentary leaders for driving inter-parliamentary cooperation and broader bilateral ties.  

Việt Nam always values invaluable support extended by Finland during its national development, he said, affirming that Finland’s non-refundable aid programmes during Việt Nam’s early reform period had been instrumental in its socio-economic achievements, especially in improving living standards.

The Party chief affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to strengthening and deepening ties with Finland, noting parliamentary cooperation as an effective mechanism for advancing and overseeing intergovernmental agreements, while fostering mutual understanding and trust. He believed that the recent upgrade of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership would further enhance collaboration across sectors, including between the two legislatures.

Risikko, in reply, welcomed the visit’s significance and the upgraded Strategic Partnership, noting that Việt Nam, over 50 years since establishing diplomatic ties, has become Finland’s most important trade partner in Southeast Asia.

She stressed that the visit marks a new, historically significant phase for all-around coordination, especially via parliamentary channel.

Recalling the success of Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho’s official visit to Việt Nam in March 2024, she expressed satisfaction with the growing and substantive parliamentary ties, which continue to deepen the traditional friendship between the two nations.

The host conveyed greetings from Speaker Halla-aho to General Secretary Lâm, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, and other high-ranking Vietnamese leaders.

Both sides underscored their legislatures’ crucial role in supporting cooperation in trade, investment, energy, education, and people-to-people exchanges, while working to ease procedural barriers for citizens living, studying, and working in each other’s territories.

They agreed to bolster parliamentary ties through regular high-level exchanges, the establishment of friendship parliamentary groups, and closer joint work between specialised committees. They also pledged to expand legislative experience sharing and fine-tune the legal framework to facilitate broader coordination in areas where Finland’s strengths meet Việt Nam’s needs.

General Secretary Lâm urged the Finnish Parliament to push for the ratification of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the seven remaining EU member states, creating better conditions for Finnish and European investors in Việt Nam.

He also sought Finland’s parliamentary backing to recognise Việt Nam’s strides in fisheries governance and legal transparency, and encourage the European Commission (EC) to soon lift the “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood exports. He further expressed a wish to make maritime cooperation a priority for the two seafaring nations.

Both leaders also discussed more liaison at multilateral parliamentary forums, aiming to amplify a shared voice for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region and the world. 

On the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, the Vietnamese leader asked for Finland’s support of ASEAN’s stance on settling disputes in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On the occasion, he conveyed NA Chairman Mẫn’s greetings to Speaker Halla-aho. — VNA/VNS