National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn meets with Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili in Istanbul on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

ISTANBUL — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn on Thursday held talks with Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye.

At the meeting, expressing satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral relations in recent years and noting that two-way trade reached over US$192 million in 2025, the top Vietnamese legislator underlined that there remains ample room to further expand cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and potential, including education and training, culture, tourism, sports, logistics and transport, particularly rail transport.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, he proposed enhancing exchanges between leaders of the two legislatures, their respective bodies and parliamentarians, while promoting the sharing of policy orientations and legislative experience.

The Vietnamese leader also called for closer coordination and mutual support at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, as well as a stronger role played by legislative bodies in facilitating the effective implementation of bilateral agreements.

Chairman Mẫn encouraged the two sides to step up exchanges across ministries, sectors and localities at all levels, including people-to-people exchanges. Vietnamese alumni who studied in Georgia were highlighted as playing a key role in further strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

For his part, Chairman Papuashvili congratulated Việt Nam on the successful election of deputies to the 16th NA and on Chairman Mẫn’s re-election to the post. He expressed his hope that both sides would continue to promote cooperation between their legislatures, including within the IPU, and maintain regular exchanges through young and women parliamentarians’ channels.

He also shared updates on Georgia’s recent development and announced that Georgia plans to host a joint conference within the frameworks of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), inviting the Vietnamese NA to participate and contribute to strengthening connectivity between the two mechanisms.

The two parliamentary leaders agreed to further enhance parliamentary cooperation and promote the early establishment of a Việt Nam–Georgia Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group. They also reaffirmed the importance of upholding international law and resolving disputes through peaceful means based on fundamental principles of international law.

On this occasion, they extended invitations to visit each other’s countries, aiming to create new momentum to elevate bilateral relations and cooperation between the two legislatures. — VNA/VNS