Ambassador of Türkiye to Việt Nam Korhan Kemik. — VNA/VNS Photo

Turkish Ambassador to Việt Nam Korhan Kemik spoke to the Vietnam News Agency about the progress of Türkiye–Việt Nam ties on the occasion of National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn’s trip to Türkiye to attend the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) and engage in bilateral activities.

How has Türkiye prepared for hosting the 152nd IPU Assembly in İstanbul? Given the current global geopolitical landscape, what are your expectations for the major messages and key decisions to be adopted at this Assembly?

The Inter-Parliamentary Union stands at the very heart of parliamentary diplomacy. It provides a common ground for dialogue among parliamentarians from different regions of the world, diverse political systems, and ideological backgrounds.

Türkiye attaches great importance to the 152nd IPU Assembly, which will take place between April 15-19, 2026 in İstanbul. This will, in fact, be the fourth time Türkiye has hosted an IPU General Assembly, following the editions held in 1934, 1951, and 1996. The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye has undertaken comprehensive preparations for this major event and every effort has been made to ensure its success.

The 152nd Assembly will be a significant gathering in terms of participation, with more than 2,300 delegates from different countries expected to attend. Over 90 Speakers and Deputy Speakers are also anticipated to be present in İstanbul on this occasion.

The choice of İstanbul as the host city is equally meaningful. İstanbul stands at the crossroads of continents, cultures, and ideas, and in that sense, it perfectly embodies the Assembly’s emphasis on dialogue, coexistence, and mutual understanding.

These values are more essential than ever in light of the pressing realities of our time. We are living through a period marked by increasing volatility, unpredictability, and conflicts that threaten peace and stability in our immediate vicinity. This environment heightens the risk of miscalculations, deepens global mistrust, and makes crisis management considerably more complex. Against this backdrop, addressing global challenges depends on collective efforts built on cooperation and effective multilateralism.

The overarching theme of the IPU Assembly, “Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations,” reflects this urgent need and calls for concrete parliamentary action. In this context, the General Debate is expected to serve as a platform for the exchange of views and the mobilisation of parliamentary efforts, with the Assembly set to adopt resolutions on key issues.

NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn will head the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at the event. How do you evaluate Việt Nam’s participation and contributions to multilateral parliamentary forums like the IPU in recent years, in promoting peace and sustainable development?

Việt Nam, like Türkiye, is a firm believer in multilateralism, and in recent years, we have seen this commitment has translated into a noticeably stronger presence on the international stage. Hosting the signing ceremony of the UN Cybercrime Convention last year, and its participation in the Board of Peace, are two recent examples of Việt Nam’s growing and impactful global engagement.

This active stance is equally evident in the realm of multilateral parliamentary diplomacy, clearly reflecting Việt Nam’s positive and constructive role in promoting both peace and sustainable development.

For our part, we stand ready to deepen our cooperation with Việt Nam in the period ahead by working together to lay the groundwork for advancing peace and sustainable development, for the benefit of both our nations.

The working visit by the Vietnamese NA leadership is not only a multilateral activity but also an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties. In your opinion, what are the priority areas that both countries should focus on to enhance cooperation between the two legislative bodies and the general Việt Nam-Türkiye friendship, making it more effective, substantive and profound?

The visit of NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and the accompanying high-level Vietnamese delegation will also provide a valuable opportunity to further strengthen our bilateral ties.

Việt Nam is an important partner of Türkiye in Southeast Asia. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1978, both countries have cultivated a fruitful cooperation based on friendship, solidarity and mutual respect.

Interparliamentary relations constitute a vital pillar of our partnership – one that has gained significant momentum in recent times. The visit of the Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA, Nguyễn Đức Hải, to Türkiye last September was a particularly significant milestone. His meetings with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Celal Adan, made a meaningful contribution to advancing our legislative ties.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyễn Đức Hải holds talks with Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Celal Adan in September 2025. — Photo baoquocte.vn

Encouraging further contacts and exchanges between our existing Interparliamentary Friendship Groups will undoubtedly deepen this cooperation – and the 152nd IPU Assembly in İstanbul provides an excellent platform to build on that momentum.

This strong parliamentary engagement is matched by robust economic ties. Việt Nam is already Türkiye’s second-largest trade partner in Southeast Asia, and Türkiye is Việt Nam’s largest investment partner from our region – a testament to the depth and maturity of our economic relationship.

Both countries have considerable room to expand cooperation across a wide range of strategic areas: tourism, agriculture, the halal industry, renewable energy, rare earth minerals, infrastructure and logistics, as well as science, technology, and digitalisation. These are sectors where our complementary strengths can yield long-term and tangible mutual benefits.

Ultimately, the strength of our ties relies on human connection. We have been taking concrete steps to bring our people closer together. The liberalisation of visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens and the increase in weekly flights of Turkish Airlines between İstanbul and both Hà Nội and HCM City are opening new avenues for people-to-people exchanges and fostering deeper human connections between our countries.

We look forward to working closely with our Vietnamese partners in the coming period to further strengthen and deepen our cooperation. — VNA/VNS