HÀ NỘI – National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân has urged ambassadors and heads of representative Vietnamese agencies abroad to bring more development opportunities to Vietnamese localities, especially disadvantaged areas to narrow development gaps.

During a reception in Hà Nội on Monday for diplomats for the 2018-21 tenure, the NA Chairwoman said as Việt Nam is striving to run for a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2020-21 tenure and prepare for its own Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020, the legislature must prove itself in its roles as member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee and as IPU Vice Chair.

At the same time, Việt Nam’s NA must successfully hold the 41st session of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) 2020 and assume the position of AIPA Secretary General for the 2019-21 tenure, she said.

She lauded the close co-ordination of State and parliamentary diplomacy towards improving Việt Nam’s stature in the international arena, notably the success of the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2015, the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in 2017 and the 26th annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Hà Nội in January 2018.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made thorough preparations, contributing to the success of meetings, she said.

The top legislator also hailed the Foreign Ministry for hosting the 30th Diplomatic Conference in August to share experience and promote the external activities of the Party and State.

On the occasion, she asked diplomats to act as a bridge to develop ties between Vietnamese and foreign legislatures.

Representative agencies abroad need to work with the NA Committee for External Affairs to promote parliamentary diplomacy and facilitate the exchange of delegations, thus improving personnel capacity and mutual understanding, she said.

They were urged to learn from other countries’ experience in state management so international friends could see Việt Nam’s determination to reform itself, foster trust in the hearts of overseas Vietnamese and co-ordinate with host authorities to support them.

Amid complicated global developments, she suggested launching more dialogue channels to fight innacurate allegations and pool support from foreign countries.

Ngân expressed her hope that heads of representative Vietnamese agencies abroad will maintain strong political will, stay loyal to the nation, improve Việt Nam’s stature in political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural terms, and contribute to building the homeland.

Several diplomats said they have completed basic works before departure, including holding working sessions with ministries, agencies and localities to grasp hold of the situation, thereby building specific action plans to fulfil assigned tasks.

According to permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn, there were 24 heads of overseas representative Vietnamese agencies appointed for 2018-21, including 16 ambassadors approved by the legislature.

Since the NA’s 14th tenure, the NA Standing Committee has approved the appointment of 67 ambassadors. – VNS