National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (right) meets with IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong on Friday on the sidelines of the 152nd IPU Assembly (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye. — VNA/VNS Photo

ISTANBUL — National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn has suggested the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) support Việt Nam’s legislature in enhancing its lawmaking and oversight capacity, while enabling deeper engagement in IPU mechanisms and future hosting of regional and global parliamentary events.

Chairman Mẫn made the suggestion in his meeting with IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong on Friday morning (local time) on the sidelines of the 152nd IPU Assembly (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye. 

The top Vietnamese legislator spoke highly of the IPU’s role and Chungong’s contributions to enhancing cooperation among parliaments worldwide, thereby strengthening ties between the IPU and the Vietnamese NA. He also expressed his appreciation for the support and goodwill the Secretary-General has extended to Việt Nam over the past three tenures.

Sharing the IPU Secretary-General’s views on global and regional issues, Chairman Mẫn noted that the world is facing fast-evolving and complex challenges, including rising conflicts, non-traditional security challenges, disasters, and worsening climate change. He said in that context, Việt Nam remains committed to multilateralism and to the indispensable role of international institutions, including the United Nations and the IPU, in promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development.

He took this occasion to inform Chungong of Việt Nam’s successful election of deputies to the 16th NA for the 2026–31 term, with the highest voter turnout ever recorded, creating fresh momentum for implementing the country’s development orientations in the time to come.

Regarding orientations to strengthen cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the IPU in the future, Chairman Mẫn underscored the need to foster parliamentary cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transition, and sustainable development. He stressed Việt Nam’s interest in closer engagement with IPU platforms and capacity-building initiatives, particularly in improving legislative quality and oversight effectiveness.

Secretary-General Chungong, for his part, welcomed Việt Nam’s strong commitment to the IPU and its high-level participation at IPU-152. He noted that, amid global uncertainties, the presence and active contributions of the key Vietnamese leader, especially his substantive remarks addressing shared international concerns, are of important significance.

The Secretary-General praised Việt Nam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and diversification and multilateralisation, as well as the Vietnamese NA’s proactive and responsible engagement in inter-parliamentary cooperation, including within the IPU. He acknowledged Việt Nam’s initiatives and contributions, which have left a positive mark on multilateral parliamentary forums.

As he approaches the end of his tenure, Chungong expressed gratitude for the support and partnership of Việt Nam’s legislature and voiced his hope to continue working with Vietnamese legislators and partners in the future.

Chairman Mẫn, in turn, thanked the IPU Secretary-General for his goodwill towards Việt Nam’s NA and people, wishing him continued success, and expressing his hope that Chungong will remain a close and trusted partner of Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS