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| Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân will attend the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 24-25.— VNA/VNS Photo |
HÀ NỘI — Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân will attend the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-138) and related meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 24-25 and pay an official visit to the Netherlands from March 26-28.
Ngân’s attendance at the 138th IPU Assembly will be made at the invitation of IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron, while her trip to the Netherlands will be made at the invitation of Speaker of the House of Representatives Khadija Arib, the NA’s Committee for External Affairs announced yesterday.
Since Việt Nam joined the IPU in April 1979, its active participation has been acknowledged and appreciated by other members. Over the years, relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly and other parliaments have been strengthened.
In October 2007 at the 117th IPU Assembly also in Geneva, Switzerland, Việt Nam’s NA was elected to the IPU Executive Committee – the forum’s highest body – for the first time.
Việt Nam was designated as IPU Vice President in 2009. In this role, the country contributed effectively to the forum, optimising international support.
Notably, in April 2015, Việt Nam hosted the 132nd IPU Assembly, where the Hà Nội Declaration was adopted, contributing to devising the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
In October 2016, at the 135th IPU Assembly in Switzerland, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Affairs Nguyễn Văn Giàu was elected to the IPU Executive Committee for the 2016-19 period.
Việt Nam and the Netherlands officially established diplomatic relations on April 9, 1973.
The Việt Nam-Netherlands relationship is an example of dynamic and effective ties between Việt Nam and an European country. The Netherlands was the largest trade partner of Việt Nam in the EU with bilateral trade reaching US$2.9 billion in the first five months of 2017. The Netherlands was also the biggest European investor in Việt Nam with 287 valid projects worth $7.7 billion by May 2017. — VNS
