National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament.

On the morning of March 25th, at the National Assembly building, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue presided over a solemn welcoming ceremony for the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Jussi Halla-aho. Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, the two sides held talks.

Welcoming the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament to Vietnam, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue expressed his belief that the visit would be an important milestone in the relations between the two countries, providing an opportunity to exchange orientations and solutions to strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two parliaments and between Vietnam and Finland in general.

The Speaker of the National Assembly affirmed that the Party, the State, and the National Assembly of Vietnam always attach great importance to developing traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Finland, in harmony with the overall strategic relationship between Vietnam and the EU, in accordance with the Vietnam-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

At the invitation of the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Jussi Halla-aho, paid an official visit to Vietnam from March 24 to 26, 2024.

Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Jussi Halla-aho, thanked the Vietnamese National Assembly for the warm welcome, emphasizing that bilateral and multilateral relations between the two countries are traditionally good. The Finnish Parliament has also welcomed delegations from Vietnam. In particular, the visit of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue in 2021 opened up many new opportunities in trade and cooperation between the two countries.

During the talks, the two Speakers of Parliament expressed their pleasure at the positive development of relations between the two countries, particularly in political -diplomatic, economic-trade, development cooperation, and education-training areas. They also welcomed the many meaningful activities undertaken by both countries to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2023.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland Jussi Halla-aho

Regarding economics, trade, and investment, both sides highly appreciated the positive results of economic cooperation between the two countries in recent years. In particular, after the implementation of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), bilateral trade has remained stable over the years. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested that the two countries closely coordinate to maximize the benefits of the EVFTA. In particular, Finland should continue to facilitate the export of key Vietnamese products to the Finnish market, such as iron and steel products, machinery, equipment, transportation vehicles and spare parts, textiles and garment raw materials, and leather and footwear.

The Speaker of the Finnish Parliament affirmed that Vietnam is one of Finland's most important trading partners in Southeast Asia. Finland has ratified the investment protection agreement between Vietnam and the EU, and previously had a bilateral investment protection agreement with Vietnam. These agreements will open up opportunities for cooperation in the fields of energy, information technology, and education.

On this occasion, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue thanked the Finnish Parliament for ratifying the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); and expressed his hope that Finland would help to expedite the ratification of the Agreement by the parliaments of the remaining EU countries.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue requested Finland's support for the European Commission (EC) to soon lift the IUU yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports, thereby supporting Vietnam's socio-economic development and helping European consumers access high-quality seafood at competitive prices.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue

The two parliamentary leaders exchanged views and agreed to continue coordinating to resolve obstacles and effectively implement development cooperation projects, including those funded under Finland's public investment program in Vietnam.

Regarding cooperation in multilateral forums and international organizations, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue highly appreciated the effective cooperation and mutual support in multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations; thanked and requested Finland to continue supporting Vietnam in strengthening comprehensive cooperation with the EU. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge for Finland to strengthen relations with ASEAN.

Both sides highly appreciate cooperation in the field of education. Regarding this area, the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament stated that it is a priority in the bilateral relations between the two countries. Finnish higher education programs currently welcome over 2,000 Vietnamese students, making them the largest group of foreign students in Finland. Furthermore, Vietnam is a priority country in Finland's talent promotion program.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue proposed that the two sides strengthen cooperation in the field of forestry and promote the development of energy and industrial sectors in Vietnam. Vietnam hopes to cooperate in sharing experiences on institutional frameworks and green finance so that Vietnam can soon fulfill its commitments at COP-26.

Finland supports Vietnam in areas such as personnel training, provision of specialized equipment, coordination of humanitarian and peacekeeping operations abroad, and enhanced cooperation in combating crime.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue welcomed and highly appreciated the stance of the EU and Finland on the East Sea issue; he hoped that Finland and other EU countries would continue to strongly advocate for the rule of law in the seas and oceans, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, freedom, safety, and security of maritime and air navigation in the East Sea, and supporting the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on resolving disputes peacefully, on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament.

The Speaker of the Finnish Parliament stated that Finland currently has over 10,000 Vietnamese people, who are considered a minority ethnic group in Finland. He highly praised the Vietnamese community in Finland as hardworking and diligent. On behalf of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue expressed his sincere gratitude to the Finnish Government and Parliament for their attention and support to the Vietnamese community in Finland over the years, and hoped that the Finnish Government and Parliament would continue to facilitate the Vietnamese community's safe and secure living and working conditions, enabling them to make positive contributions to promoting friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Finland.

The cooperative relationship between the parliaments of the two countries has been well maintained through exchanges of delegations at the leadership level and parliamentary agencies. Within the framework of multilateral cooperation, both sides maintain contact, coordinate, and support each other at regional and international parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP).

Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Jussi Halla-aho

In the context of Parliament's increasingly significant role and voice in bilateral and multilateral cooperation, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, including parliamentary diplomacy, and strengthening people-to-people diplomacy.

The Vietnamese National Assembly wishes to strengthen friendly relations and cooperation, making the relationship between the Vietnamese and Finnish National Assemblies an important channel of cooperation between the two countries. Looking ahead, the Speaker of the National Assembly proposed that both sides continue to strengthen cooperation through parliamentary diplomacy; increase exchanges of high-level delegations and specialized committees of the National Assembly; enhance exchanges among parliamentarians, including female parliamentarians, young parliamentarians, and friendship parliamentary groups; and exchange experiences in parliamentary organization and operation to further innovate and improve the effectiveness of the National Assembly and its supporting agencies.

The parliaments of both countries will strengthen oversight of the effective implementation of international treaties and cooperation agreements signed between the governments, ministries, and localities of the two countries; support and enhance connectivity and cooperation between businesses of the two countries, and between localities; and improve mechanisms and legal frameworks to facilitate cooperation between functional agencies and businesses of the two countries. Vietnam hopes to learn from Finland's experience to improve the legal framework for innovation, green transformation, and entrepreneurship.

The two groups pose for a group photo.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue requested that both sides continue to promote close coordination mechanisms, strengthen consultations, exchange information, and coordinate mutual support at multilateral forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP).

Further discussing issues of concern to the delegation regarding the global and regional situation, and the challenges Vietnam must face and overcome to develop its socio-economic development, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue stated that Vietnam's experience after nearly 40 years of reform, and the lesson of putting the people first, are deeply ingrained and are of vital importance.

In particular, the lessons learned from Vietnam's success show that economic independence, self-reliance, and self-strength are of paramount importance. Vietnam has diversified and multilateralized its economic relations. Vietnam is independent in mobilizing and utilizing resources, the most important of which is its domestic strength. Along with independence and self-strength, Vietnam also strengthens extensive cooperation for peace, cooperation, development, and prosperity with countries around the world. In the current context, more than ever, countries, including Vietnam and Finland, need to strengthen cooperation. Emphasizing that the two countries share common goals for prosperity and a better life for their people, the Chairman of the National Assembly stated that this is the basis for fostering bilateral relations in all fields.

Source: https://vov.vn/chinh-tri/chu-tich-quoc-hoi-vuong-dinh-hue-hoi-dam-voi-chu-tich-quoc-hoi-phan-lan-post1084805.vov