National Assembly (NA) Vice President Nguyễn Hồng Diên and President of the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Tulia Ackson. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) Vice President Nguyễn Hồng Diên proposed three priorities for inter-parliamentary cooperation to promote public participation in governance, narrow the gap between commitments and results, and ensure that science and technology serve people, as he addressed the high-level General Debate of the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-153) in Arusha, Tanzania, on October 7.

Highlighting inclusiveness, trust and opportunities for all as the core foundations of effective governance, Diên affirmed that placing the people at the centre and making them the driving force behind all decisions and actions has helped Việt Nam record significant socio-economic achievements after 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal), while continuing to pursue national development goals in the new era.

Việt Nam is determined to undertake strong institutional reforms to create a development-enabling environment, with science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transition and the circular economy serving as key drivers. The Vietnamese NA is also stepping up lawmaking, supreme oversight and decision-making on major national issues.

Against this backdrop, the NA Vice President proposed three priorities for inter-parliamentary cooperation in the 2026-2030 period: promoting public participation in governance; strengthening oversight, transparency and accountability to narrow the gap between commitments and results; and ensuring that science and technology serve people and help narrow development gaps.

Affirming that Việt Nam will remain an active and responsible member of the IPU, he stressed the need to turn differences into a basis for dialogue, use dialogue to build and strengthen trust, and turn trust into opportunities and conditions for cooperation and shared development.

On the sidelines of IPU-153, Diên met with Speaker of the Tanzanian National Assembly Mussa Azzan Zungu, Speaker of the Azerbaijani National Assembly Sahiba Gafarova, Polish Senator Gabriela Morawa-Stanecka, and Canadian MP Robert Oliphant.

At his meeting with the Speaker of the Tanzanian National Assembly, Dien conveyed National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn’s greetings and his invitation to visit Việt Nam to the Tanzanian speaker, and affirmed that Việt Nam attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Tanzania and appreciates Tanzania’s support for Việt Nam’s past struggle for national independence. Việt Nam wishes to further deepen and expand bilateral relations in a more effective manner, he said.

To enhance bilateral cooperation, Diên proposed stepping up high-level delegation exchanges through Party, parliamentary and government channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges. He also proposed increasing contacts and sharing legislative experience between specialised committees and lawmakers of the two countries. The two sides also discussed signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two legislatures.

The two sides should also coordinate efforts to promote negotiations and signing of key agreements, including a double taxation avoidance agreement and an agreement on investment promotion and protection, he said.

Diên also noted that bilateral economic ties have developed positively but remain below their potential. He asked Tanzania to support and facilitate greater participation by Vietnamese businesses, including Viettel’s telecom joint venture Halotel, in telecommunications, infrastructure, digital transformation and e-government projects in Tanzania.

A stable and open legal environment is essential for businesses from both countries to expand trade and investment cooperation in promising areas such as mining, energy, high-tech agriculture and infrastructure development, he stressed.

Mussa Azzan Zungu praised Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements after 40 years of Đổi Mới, describing them as a useful model for Tanzania as it implements its 'Tanzania Development Vision 2050'. He affirmed that the Tanzanian National Assembly will work to further strengthen the traditional friendship between Tanzania and Việt Nam and that the two legislatures should play a greater role in strengthening the legal framework and overseeing the implementation of cooperation agreements.

Speaking highly of Halotel’s operations, the Tanzanian Speaker welcomed continued investment by Vietnamese businesses in agriculture, tourism, mining, technology and infrastructure development.

At his meeting with Azerbaijani Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and cooperation at parliamentary forums.

Gafarova expressed her delight at the elevation of Việt Nam-Azerbaijan relations to a Strategic Partnership during Party General Secretary  Tô Lâm’s visit to Azerbaijan in May 2025. She also sought Việt Nam’s support for her candidacy for IPU President for the 2026-2029 term.

Diên spoke highly of her candidacy and leadership capabilities and invited Gafarova and other leaders of the Azerbaijani parliament to visit Việt Nam at an early date.

At his meeting with Polish Senator Gabriela Morawa-Stanecka, Vice President of the IPU, the two sides agreed to promote high-level delegation exchanges, implement agreements under the Strategic Partnership framework and strengthen economic and trade cooperation.

Morawa-Stanecka described Việt Nam as Poland’s largest economic and trade partner in Southeast Asia, highlighting the role of the Vietnamese community in Poland and expressing a desire to expand relations with the region through Việt Nam.

Diên proposed that the two sides coordinate closely in preparing high-level visits, increase exchanges among parliamentarians, particularly female and young lawmakers, and promote economic, trade and investment cooperation through the implementation of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the early ratification of the investment protection agreement.

He also asked Poland to encourage other EU member states to support the lifting of the EU's 'yellow card' warning on Vietnamese seafood and avoid excessive use of trade defence measures.

At his meeting with Canadian MP Robert Oliphant, the two sides welcomed positive developments in Việt Nam-Canada relations, particularly the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership.

Oliphant said that Việt Nam is an important partner in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and a promising market for trade cooperation. He expressed his readiness to promote cooperation in areas where Canada has strengths, including energy, the environment, agriculture, technology, metallurgy and minerals.

Diên said the two economies are complementary and have considerable room to expand trade and investment cooperation. He called on the two legislatures to strengthen oversight of the implementation of bilateral agreements and commitments, and promote negotiations on upgrading the current trade framework and conclude an investment protection agreement.

The two sides agreed to increase high-level delegation exchanges and contacts between committees, parliamentary friendship groups, young and female lawmakers and local representatives, while continuing to support the Vietnamese community in Canada in playing its role as a bridge between the two countries. — VNA/VNS