National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn welcomes Achim Post, Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of Germany; Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade; and the German delegation in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on Tuesday received Achim Post, Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, along with members of the SPD delegation, on the occasion of their working visit to Việt Nam where they will also attend the 10th Dialogue between the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the SPD.

Chairman Mẫn affirmed that the visit holds great significance, marking a new milestone in the relations between the two Parties and the two countries. He expressed his appreciation for Germany’s continued support for Việt Nam over the years through official development assistance (ODA) and cooperation in areas such as digital transformation, green growth, education, environment, and especially vaccine support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Appreciating the European Union (EU) for considering Việt Nam a priority partner in its cooperation policy with the Asia–Pacific region, the NA Chairman showed his gratitude to the EU for providing EUR650,000 (US$757,800) in humanitarian aid to help Việt Nam overcome the consequences of recent storms and floods.

Noting the complex developments in the global situation, Post and Lange emphasised that strengthening and developing the good friendship between Việt Nam and Germany, and between Việt Nam and the EU are of great importance, based on mutual understanding, trust, and respect. They expressed their confidence that the Việt Nam–Germany Strategic Partnership, as well as the Việt Nam–EU comprehensive partnership and cooperation will continue to grow strongly in the time ahead.

NA Chairman Mẫn said that the cooperative relationship between the Vietnamese legislature and the Bundestag of Germany has developed well in recent years, with both sides maintaining regular delegation exchanges, sharing legislative and supervisory experience, and closely coordinating at multilateral parliamentary forums.

Acknowledging and appreciating the SPD’s support for the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), the top legislator said he hopes it will continue to play its role and voice in encouraging the German Bundestag to soon complete the ratification process. This will open up new opportunities for cooperation, investment, and trade, bringing tangible benefits to businesses and people of both countries, he noted.

The Vietnamese NA attaches great importance to, and seeks to learn from the legislative and supervisory experience of countries with developed rule-of-law systems and well-established institutional frameworks, including Germany, in order to apply them appropriately to Việt Nam’s context, Chairman Mẫn affirmed.

The top legislator stated that Việt Nam always pays close attention to the policies of the SPD and the German Government, in which the SPD plays an important role. He highly valued the maintenance of the dialogue mechanism between the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) and the SPD over the past 14 years, which has become an important channel for theory exchange and sharing of practical experience between the two Parties.

He expressed his confidence that through this dialogue and meetings with Vietnamese partners, the SPD will gain a deeper understanding of Việt Nam’s path towards sustainable development and its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and international integration amidst global uncertainties.

Regarding cooperation with the EU and the European Parliament (EP), the NA Chairman noted that Việt Nam–EU relations in general, and cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the EP in particular, have continued to develop very positively in recent years.

He highly appreciated the increasingly substantive and effective cooperation between the two legislative bodies, built on the spirit of dialogue, mutual understanding, and constructive engagement. Both sides have maintained a stable parliamentary dialogue channel based on their cooperation agreement signed in 2010, which serves as an important foundation for enhancing exchanges and fostering mutual understanding.

The NA Chairman expressed his confidence that Việt Nam and the EU will soon elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to create favourable conditions for broader cooperation not only between Việt Nam and the EU but also in strengthening connectivity between Southeast Asia and Europe.

Regarding cooperation with Germany, he highlighted that Germany is one of Việt Nam’s most important partners in Europe, and the two sides are working toward elevating the bilateral relationship to a new height, commensurate with their potential and aspirations. — VNA/VNS