National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue holds talks with Bangladeshi Parliament Chairman

At the invitation of Bangladeshi Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue led a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly on an official visit to Bangladesh from September 21-23. This is the first visit to Bangladesh by a Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman, taking place in the context of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (February 11, 1973 - February 11, 2023).

Immediately after the official welcoming ceremony solemnly held at the Bangladesh Parliament House at noon on September 21, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

At the meeting, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury warmly welcomed and highly appreciated the significance of the first visit to Bangladesh by Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue, emphasizing that the visit is an important highlight in the year when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue thanked the warm and friendly reception and respectfully conveyed to the Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament the greetings and best wishes of the leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State.

The two leaders also said that the two sides share many similarities in history, geography, culture, especially the tradition of fighting for national independence and freedom led by President Ho Chi Minh and the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The two leaders informed each other about the situation in their respective countries. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue congratulated Bangladesh on its recent achievements, especially its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing by more than 7% in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Bangladesh has become the world's second largest exporter of garment products and is a leading model in building green factories.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also wished Bangladesh success in organizing the upcoming general election, successfully implementing “Vision 2041”, and turning Bangladesh into a modern and knowledgeable nation by 2041 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the country's founding.

Speaker of the National Assembly Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury highly appreciated Vietnam's socio-economic achievements as well as its international role and position. The Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament also recalled her good impressions and expressed her admiration for the country and people of Vietnam during her official visit to Vietnam in 2017 at the invitation of then National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Discussing bilateral relations, the two leaders affirmed the importance of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bangladesh, assessing that the relationship between the two countries has a solid foundation of mutual trust, close affection and friendship between many generations of leaders and people of the two countries, and has great potential for cooperation that can complement and support each other.

Over the past time, the relationship between the two countries has continued to develop positively despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including the continued maintenance of high-level contacts. In 2022, bilateral trade turnover grew well, reaching 1.5 billion USD. Bangladesh became Vietnam's second largest trading partner in South Asia. The two sides are gradually moving towards the target of bilateral trade turnover reaching 2 billion USD.

The two leaders assessed that there are still many potentials and strengths in the bilateral relationship that have not been fully exploited. In that spirit, the two sides discussed and agreed on a number of major orientations to bring the bilateral cooperation to a new level.

Politically, the two sides agreed to increase delegation exchanges at all levels and through State, Government and National Assembly channels as well as people-to-people exchanges, and promote the implementation of bilateral mechanisms, especially the Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also highly appreciated Bangladesh's recent establishment of the Bangladesh-Vietnam Friendship Association.

Regarding economic, trade and investment cooperation, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue assessed Bangladesh as a potential market with nearly 170 million people, large consumption capacity and many similarities with Vietnam. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested that Bangladesh continue to create conditions for Vietnam to expand exports to Bangladesh, especially products that Vietnam has strengths in such as agricultural machinery, raw materials, household goods, electronics, processed agricultural and aquatic products, and suggested that the two sides strengthen cooperation in the field of Halal food.

Speaker of the National Assembly Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury highly appreciated the organization of the Forum on policies and laws to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Bangladesh. In addition, Speaker of the National Assembly Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury called on Vietnamese enterprises to study the market and invest in Bangladesh, especially in the special economic zones that have just been opened under the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; to create more favorable conditions for Bangladesh's export products, including pharmaceuticals, ceramics, leather and footwear, etc., to contribute to balancing the trade balance.

Speaker of the National Assembly Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury acknowledged the proposals of Speaker of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue on Bangladesh sending students to Vietnamese universities and branches of prestigious universities of other countries in Vietnam. In addition, Speaker of the National Assembly Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury encouraged travel businesses of the two countries to sign contracts to deploy tours to Vietnam and Bangladesh, strengthen air connectivity, and encourage airlines to open direct flights or connect via third countries.

Discussing measures to enhance cooperation between the two parliaments, the two leaders were pleased to announce that the two sides have established the Vietnam-Bangladesh Friendship Parliamentary Group and the Bangladesh-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group to further enhance exchanges and experience sharing between parliamentarians of the two countries.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and National Assembly Chairwoman Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the two National Assemblies. Photo: VNA

Regarding the overseas Vietnamese community, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue emphasized that although the number is small, they are united and have strong ties with both Bangladesh and Vietnam. The National Assembly Chairman asked Bangladesh to pay attention to creating conditions for Vietnamese people to live and work stably and safely, and to play a good role as a bridge of friendship between the two countries.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two leaders agreed to continue to cooperate and coordinate closely at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and mechanisms led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying that with both Vietnam and Bangladesh being members of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, the two countries will have many opportunities to discuss and promote cooperation on issues of mutual concern, including climate change and human rights.

At the end of the talks, the two leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two National Assemblies and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two National Assembly Offices. The talks took place in an open and sincere atmosphere. On this occasion, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue invited the Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament to visit Vietnam at a convenient time. Bangladeshi Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury happily accepted the invitation.

Previously, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the Vietnamese National Assembly delegation visited and laid wreaths at the Memorial Museum of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

According to VNA

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