National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn (right) meets with President of the Belgian Senate Vincent Blondel in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

ISTANBUL — National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn called for deeper Việt Nam–Belgium cooperation across all fields while meeting with President of the Belgian Senate Vincent Blondel in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday on the sidelines of the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-152).

Welcoming the recent progress in bilateral relations, with regular high-level exchanges and enhanced political trust, Chairman Mẫn highly valued the effective cooperation between the two legislative bodies, and reaffirmed that Việt Nam considers Belgium an important partner within the European Union (EU).

He suggested Belgium continue supporting and accompanying Việt Nam in the next development period by expanding all-round collaboration, especially in areas matching Belgium's strengths and Việt Nam's demand, including science–technology, seaports, logistics, semiconductors, green agriculture, climate change adaptation, and saltwater intrusion prevention.

The NA leader also called on Belgium to advocate the EU's removal of the “yellow card” warning related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing against Vietnamese seafood, and further develop energy cooperation.

Meanwhile, Blondel expressed his pleasure at meeting Chairman Mẫn, describing the event as a reflection of the sound cooperation and strong trust between the two countries.

He voiced interest in enhancing economic ties, advancing the strategic partnership in agriculture, and boosting cooperation in both traditional and emerging strategic sectors. He also welcomed the stride in visa procedure exemption for European tourists, including Belgians, travelling to Việt Nam.

Given Belgium’s important role in the EU, Việt Nam asked for closer coordination to further strengthen the Việt Nam–EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and proposed the two sides actively contribute to the resolution of regional and global issues for peace, cooperation, and development.

Chairman Mẫn took the occasion to invite high-ranking Belgian leaders to visit Việt Nam in the near future. For his part, the Belgian Senate President also expressed his hope that the top legislator and other leaders of Vietnam will pay visits to Belgium at an early date. — VNA/VNS