|
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan answers questions from the press. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Could the Deputy Minister please explain the significance and purpose of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man 's trip to attend the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46) and his official visit to Malaysia?
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man will represent the leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State, along with his wife and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, at the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46) at the invitation of the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives and AIPA-46 Chairman, Dato' Johari Bin Abdul, and will pay an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the President of the Malaysian Senate, Dato' Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah, from September 16-20.
Taking place at the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN and participation in AIPA (1995-2025), this working visit is an opportunity for Vietnam to affirm its role and contributions, further promote the achievements already made, and continue to work with member parliaments to strengthen internal solidarity and unity, maintain a peaceful and stable environment, and build a strong and resilient Community, continuing to play a central role in the regional cooperation structure.
As both ASEAN and Vietnam enter a new phase of development, we will actively work with ASEAN countries to promote the comprehensive and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its accompanying strategic plans, ensuring they complement and align with the development plans and strategies of member states. This includes maximizing the potential of new growth drivers such as science and technology, innovation, the digital economy, and the green transition, contributing to inclusive and sustainable development in the region, in line with the theme of ASEAN and AIPA this year.
At this 46th AIPA General Assembly, Vietnam will actively participate and contribute many proposals and initiatives to further promote regional cooperation as well as the role and contribution of parliamentary diplomacy. Specifically, we will propose strengthening AIPA cooperation in many high-priority areas such as cybersecurity, the economy and digital transformation, increasing domestic trade, promoting sustainable development, and enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation with partners. We will participate in exchanging and sharing experiences in lawmaking and parliamentary oversight to facilitate inclusive and sustainable growth, ensuring that all citizens benefit from development and that no one is left behind. In addition, Vietnam will exchange views with other countries and propose directions and measures to strengthen cooperation in the parliamentary channel, including promoting the role of parliamentary diplomacy in participating in and resolving regional issues, maintaining peace and stability, and further deepening relations and exchanges between people of all walks of life.
On the bilateral level, this is the first official visit to Malaysia by the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly after the official upgrading of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Malaysia (November 2024), thereby promoting increasingly effective and substantive bilateral parliamentary cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia, contributing to creating a legal framework for the governments and businesses of the two countries to strengthen cooperation.
This visit by the Speaker of the National Assembly is also clear evidence of Vietnam's independent, self-reliant, peaceful, cooperative, and developmental foreign policy, its multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, and its emphasis on and priority of developing relations with Southeast Asia and ASEAN, including Malaysia – the ASEAN Chair in 2025. At the same time, it is also a commitment from Vietnam to cooperate with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries in building a "sustainable and inclusive" ASEAN Community, united and strong, and consolidating ASEAN's central role in the regional structure.
Mr. Deputy Minister, could you please tell us about Vietnam-Malaysia relations and expectations for the visit?
Vietnam-Malaysia relations are currently in a particularly positive phase of development. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2024 during General Secretary To Lam's official visit to Malaysia, opening up many new opportunities for cooperation, especially in areas aligned with global trends such as digital transformation and sustainable development. The two countries are increasingly cooperating extensively in the fields of politics, economics, defense, security, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
In politics, security, and defense, both sides have strengthened exchanges of high-level and other delegations. Maritime cooperation has yielded many positive results, particularly the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation (December 2023) after five years of negotiations. Both sides have enhanced cooperation in areas with potential and strengths, such as training, research, and technology transfer in defense, and have coordinated effectively in implementing multilateral international treaties on crime prevention and control to which both countries are signatories.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries continues to be a highlight in recent years. Malaysia maintains its position as Vietnam's third largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth largest globally, and is among the top 10 countries with the largest investments in Vietnam. Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries has increased steadily year by year, reaching over US$9.23 billion by the end of July 2025, an 8% increase compared to the same period in 2024, and is nearing the target of US$18 billion in the near future.
Parliamentary cooperation is one of the important channels contributing to strengthening strategic trust between the two countries. It is not only an important channel for political and legal dialogue but also promotes exchanges among young parliamentarians, enhances the exchange of experience in lawmaking, and thereby provides impetus for economic development, investment, and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.
I believe that the upcoming visit of the Speaker of the National Assembly will not only contribute to strengthening political trust and deepening existing areas of cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia, but also outline specific directions for implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in diverse fields, especially consolidating and elevating cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian Parliament, becoming a solid political and legal bridge, and making a practical contribution to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Minister!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chu-tich-quoc-hoi-tran-thanh-man-tham-chinh-thuc-malaysia-va-du-aipa-46-loi-cam-ket-cua-viet-nam-ve-xay-dung-cong-dong-asean-ben-vung-va-bao-trum-327750.html
Comment (0)