Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Việt Nam Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân meets Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Laszlo Kover in Budapest yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

BUDAPEST – Việt Nam would like to see increased investment from Hungary into the country in several fields the European nation is strong in, Việt Nam’s top legislator told her counterpart during talks in Budapest yesterday.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Việt Nam Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân suggested to Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Laszlo Kover that Hungary should increase investment in water resources, environment, medicine and pharmacy, food processing, bio-fertiliser production and renewable energy.

During their meeting, the two sides lauded the results of the seventh session of the Việt Nam – Hungry joint committee on economic co-operation in Budapest on March 23-24.

They agreed on bilateral co-operation plans, including measures to strengthen trade and economic exchanges via trade fairs and exhibitions.

"Việt Nam also welcomes Hungary’s policy to boost bilateral economic ties, including the signing of a framework agreement on credit co-operation worth 440 million euros (US$424 million)," Ngân said.

Education-training is a traditional field of co-operation between the two countries. Hungary provides 100 scholarships each year for Vietnamese students to study majors that are Hungary’s strengths such as renewable energy, support industry, environmental protection, water resources treatment, information technology, economics, agriculture and health.

The two legislators acknowledged the mutual support and co-ordination at regional and international interparliamentary forums.

They agreed to boost high-level delegation exchanges between legislative agencies and parliamentary friendship groups.

Speaker Kover agreed to share experience in building law, monitoring the State apparatus and training personnel for Việt Nam.

Both sides decided to step up the implementation of co-operation agreements signed by the two countries’ governments and their strategic collaboration projects.

Chairwoman Ngân took the occasion to thank Hungary for supporting Việt Nam’s candidacy for a seat in the Economic and Social Council for 2016-18 tenure and the UN Security Council for 2020-21.

She confirmed Việt Nam’s support for Hungary to run for a seat in the UN Human Rights Council in the 2017-19 tenure.

For his part, Speaker Laszlo said Việt Nam has been Hungary’s strategic partner in Southeast Asia since 2010.

He urged the two countries to boost co-operation in economics and trade, noting that bilateral trade hit about $266 million in 2016, a year-on-year rise of 36 per cent.— VNS