On the morning of March 25, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired the official welcoming ceremony and held talks with Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho, who is on an official visit to Vietnam.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that this is the first visit by a Finnish Parliament Chairman in 14 years, and will be an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho said that Vietnam and Finland have a good traditional relationship, and in 2023 the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
In terms of economy, trade and investment, the two sides highly appreciated the positive results in economic cooperation between the two countries in recent times. In particular, after the two sides implemented the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), bilateral trade has remained stable over the years.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested that relevant agencies of the two countries coordinate closely, exploit the maximum benefits from the EVFTA, take advantage of each other's market potential, and strengthen trade and investment connectivity.
Two-way trade turnover is still modest compared to the potential and scale of trade between the two countries. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hopes that trade and investment between the two sides will be further enhanced.
Vietnam is ready to create all favorable conditions for Finnish goods and technology to enter the Vietnamese market. Vietnam hopes that Finland will continue to facilitate Vietnam's key export products to the Finnish market such as iron and steel products, machinery, equipment, means of transport and spare parts, textiles and textile materials, leather and footwear, etc.
The Speaker of the Finnish Parliament said that Vietnam is currently one of the most important trade partners in Southeast Asia.
The trade turnover between the two countries has been increasing continuously over the past 50 years. It is important that the two sides have shifted their relationship from development aid cooperation to normal trade cooperation that benefits both sides. The Speaker of the Finnish Parliament said that this is a good development.
The Finnish Parliament has ratified the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), although Finland previously had a bilateral investment protection agreement with Vietnam. The Speaker of the Finnish Parliament said that this will open up many potentials for the two sides to develop trade relations, especially in the fields of energy, information technology, etc.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that Finland's strengths are all areas that Vietnam is interested in, focusing on, and prioritizing, such as innovation, information technology, and digital transformation. Therefore, he hopes that Finland will promote cooperation and mobilize EU countries to soon ratify the EVIPA.
Regarding education and training, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested that Finland pay more attention to and promote cooperation, create conditions for Vietnamese students to study abroad, and help train Vietnamese human resources in innovation and startups.
Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho said that education and training are priority areas in bilateral relations between the two countries. Finnish higher education and training programs welcome more than 2,000 Vietnamese students.
Vietnamese students are one of the largest groups of foreign students in Finland. Vietnam has been selected as a priority country in Finland's talent promotion program.
There are currently more than 10,000 Vietnamese people living in Finland, recognized as an ethnic minority in Finland. As sincere, hard-working, and diligent people, the Vietnamese community is respected in Finland.
Sharing that Finnish people enjoy Vietnamese culture and cuisine, the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament hopes that along with economic, trade and educational cooperation, the two sides will promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Vietnam is the most important economic partner in ASEAN.
This afternoon, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-Aho.
The Prime Minister asked the Finnish Parliament to support the European Commission (EC) in soon removing the "yellow card" (IUU) for Vietnamese seafood; urged the parliaments of EU member states to soon ratify the Vietnam - European Union Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and believed that EVIPA will help businesses of each country access each other's and the regional markets.
The Prime Minister also suggested that the two sides study new educational cooperation potential in vocational training, share experiences in building a high-quality education system, and create conditions to expand student exchanges.
National Assembly Speaker Jussi Halla-Aho assessed that Vietnam has risen from the ashes of war, from an aid recipient to an equal cooperation partner of Finland.
Finland considers Vietnam its most important economic partner in ASEAN and wishes to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam to maximize the great potential between the two countries. Finland will accompany Vietnam in realizing its strong aspiration to become a high-income country in the coming years.
The two countries will continue to facilitate and encourage the connection of businesses and investors, maximizing the benefits from the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), especially in areas of both sides' needs and strengths such as high technology, green development, environment, agriculture, forestry, information technology, etc.
Also this afternoon, Standing member of the Secretariat and Head of the Central Organizing Committee Truong Thi Mai received the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland
On the afternoon of September 10 local time, within the framework of an official visit to the Republic of Finland, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
First visit to Finland by Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman in 28 years
On the morning of September 10, in Helsinki, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Anu Vehvilainen hosted an official welcoming ceremony for National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.
Source
Comment (0)