NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and First Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament of Greece Ioannis Plakiotakis. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on Monday received First Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis, who is on an official visit to Việt Nam from February 28 to March 5.

During the reception, Chairman Mẫn warmly welcomed Plakiotakis and the delegation of Greek parliamentarians, noting that the visit follows NA Vice Chairman Nguyễn Đức Hải's trip to Greece in October 2025. He stressed that the visit is significant, reflecting the keen interest of the Greek Parliament and people in strengthening the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

The top legislator of Việt Nam congratulated Greece on its notable socio-economic achievements in recent years, and affirmed that Việt Nam always attaches importance to and wishes to deepen its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Greece. He underlined that the two countries still have substantial potential to enhance collaboration in areas where they have strengths and complementary needs, including maritime economy, shipping, logistics, renewable energy, digital transformation, green transition and innovation.

To further promote bilateral ties as well as cooperation between the two legislative bodies, Chairman Mẫn suggested both sides continue enhancing political trust and expanding all-around collaboration through exchanges of delegations at all levels and via various channels. He also called for sharing experience in legislation and supervision, and stepping up coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP).

The NA Chairman proposed that the two sides bolster the economic cooperation pillar, particularly in maritime affairs and agriculture. He suggested the Greek Parliament support the early ratification by remaining European countries of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and urged assistance in calling on the European Commission (EC) to lift its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

For his part, Plakiotakis thanked Chairman Mẫn for the reception and expressed his impression of Việt Nam as a beautiful and dynamic country. He highlighted the two nations’ proud historical traditions and shared values of peace and independence, which have helped connect their peoples.

Affirming Greece’s desire to advance bilateral cooperation through both parliamentary and governmental channels, as well as within the framework of the United Nations, he noted Greece’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. On this occasion, he conveyed greetings and an invitation from Hellenic Parliament President Nikitas Kaklamanis to Chairman Mẫn to visit Greece.

National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on Monday receives First Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis. VNA/VNS Photo

Sharing the assessments of his Vietnamese counterpart, Plakiotakis agreed to promote exchanges between specialised committees and young legislators of the two parliaments, enhance the bridging role of the parliamentary friendship groups, and explore stronger economic cooperation in areas of Greece’s strengths, such as construction, energy and maritime services.

Both sides agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at regional and international parliamentary forums, within ASEAN–EU cooperation frameworks, and at global multilateral institutions. They reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and their respect for international law, underscoring the importance of settling disputes by peaceful and diplomatic means on the basis of international law, and of ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation in regional and international waters. — VNA/VNS