HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân has called for the Hungarian parliament’s support to speed up the approval of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), thus opening up new cooperation opportunities between Việt Nam and members of the EU, including Hungary.

Receiving Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian NA Istvan Jakab in Hà Nội on Thursday, the top Vietnamese legislator highlighted that Việt Nam and Hungary have shared a traditional multifaceted partnership for nearly 70 years.

Việt Nam always remembers the valuable and effective support of Hungary during Việt Nam’s national defence and construction process, she said, noting that thousands of Vietnamese officials and engineers were trained in Hungary and came back to exemplify strong performances at home.

She pledged that Việt Nam is willing to serve as a gateway for Hungary to access the 600 million-strong ASEAN market.

For his part, Jakab said that the visit aims to share legislative experiences with Việt Nam and promote further partnership between the two parliaments.

The Hungarian Deputy Speaker affirmed that Hungary has always supported the EVFTA from the start to the signing and approval. Congratulating Việt Nam on its socio-economic development achievements and high GDP growth, Istvan said that Hungary is keen on boosting ties with Việt Nam, especially in economy, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

The Deputy Speaker said that Hungary has tackled all obstacles so that the cooperation framework on a credit package, worth nearly 60 million euros, will be ready to take effect in early 2019 and the construction of the Cần Thơ Tumour Hospital can be started.

Ngân said that this is a joint project of humanitarian significance, meeting the demand of 20 million people in the Mekong Delta region.

She expressed her delight that during the Hungarian delegation’s visit, the two sides will hold a seminar on sustainable agricultural development and food safety, which is a good chance for parliamentarians and experts of both sides to share experience not only in legislation, but also on such practical issues. — VNS