National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (left) had a meeting with Prime Minister of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on the sidelines of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-140) in Doha on April 7. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

DOHA — Việt Nam treasures ties with Qatar, considering the country an important partner in the region, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân said.

She met Prime Minister of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on the sidelines of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-140) in Doha on April 7. 

She congratulates Qatar on its past achievements, including being among one of the countries achieving the highest income per capita and winning the Asian Cup Championship 2019.

Ngân informed the host about Việt Nam’s recent situation, saying that its economy grew by 7.08 per cent last year and the country signed and enforced 12 free trade agreements (FTAs) and is in the process of negotiating four other FTAs. Viet Nam also recently hosted the second summit between the USA and the DPRK.

Recalling Qatar Airways’ launch of direct flights to Hà Nội and the central city of Đà Nẵng in 2018, the parliament leader emphasised that Việt Nam would like to continue partnering with Qatar in the fields of trade, investment and tourism. She also hoped that the Qatar PM would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms.

The guest expressed her belief that under the sound leadership of the Emir and direction of the PM, Qatar would reap more important achievements in the future.

PM Al Thani, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese NA for supporting Qatar’s parliament in hosting the IPU-140. He said the IPU-140 was important to strengthen ties among parliaments, affording Qatar a chance to boost bilateral ties with countries, including Việt Nam.

He highlighted the need to intensify bilateral ties across trade and investment and wished that more Vietnamese workers would come to Qatar to work in other fields, including health care, instead of construction at present.

The host hoped that both sides would work in specific areas so Qatar could invest more in Việt Nam.

As Qatar will host World Cup 2022, he expressed hope to see the presence of the Vietnamese national football team there. He suggested both sides should work closely together in infrastructure upgrades in preparation for the event.

He also accepted Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s invitation to visit Việt Nam in the future. — VNS