Parliamentary diplomacy contributes to strengthening ASEAN solidarity and unity

(Chinhphu.vn) - In the context that both ASEAN and Vietnam are entering a new stage of development, parliamentary diplomacy will contribute to strengthening ASEAN solidarity and unity, helping ASEAN continue to play a central role in the regional cooperation structure.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan answers press interviews

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan recently gave an interview to the press during the working trip of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to attend the 46th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Southeast Asian Nations and an official visit to Malaysia.

Could you please tell us the meaning and purpose of the working trip of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to attend the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46) and the official visit to Malaysia?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan: National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man will, on behalf of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, together with his wife and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation, attend the 46th AIPA General Assembly at the invitation of Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives, President of AIPA 46 Dato' Johari Bin Abdul and pay an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of President of the Malaysian Senate Dato' Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah from September 16-20, 2025.

Taking place at the right time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN and participation in AIPA (1995-2025), the working trip is an opportunity for Vietnam to affirm its role and contributions, further promote the achieved results, continue to work with member Parliaments to strengthen solidarity and unity within the bloc, maintain a peaceful and stable environment and build a strong and self-reliant Community, continuing to play a central role in the cooperation structure in the region.

In the context that both ASEAN and Vietnam are entering a new stage of development, we will actively work with ASEAN countries to promote the comprehensive and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and accompanying strategic plans, ensuring complementarity and connection with the development plans and strategies of member countries, in which we make the most of new growth drivers such as science and technology, innovation, digital economy, green transformation, etc., contributing to promoting inclusive and sustainable development in the region, in line with the theme of ASEAN and AIPA this year.

At the 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. In particular, we will propose to strengthen AIPA cooperation in many high-priority areas today, such as cyber security, economy and digital transformation, increasing intra-bloc trade, promoting sustainable development, improving the effectiveness of cooperation with partners, etc. We will participate in exchanging and sharing experiences in law-making and National Assembly supervision to facilitate inclusive and sustainable growth, ensuring that all people enjoy the fruits of development and no one is left behind.

Along with that, Vietnam will discuss 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 front, this is the first official visit to Malaysia by the Chairman of our National Assembly after officially upgrading the relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Malaysia (November 2024), thereby promoting bilateral parliamentary cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia to be increasingly effective and substantive, contributing to creating a legal framework for the Governments and businesses of the two countries to promote cooperation.

This visit of the National Assembly Chairman is also a clear demonstration of the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, valuing and prioritizing the development of relations with the Southeast Asian region and ASEAN, including Malaysia - the ASEAN Chair 2025.

At the same time, this is also Vietnam's commitment to cooperate with Malaysia and ASEAN countries to build a "Sustainable and Inclusive" ASEAN Community, united, strong, and consolidating ASEAN's central role in the regional structure.

Could you please tell us about the Vietnam - Malaysia relationship and your expectations for the visit?

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan: Vietnam-Malaysia relations are currently in a particularly good development phase. 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 cooperation opportunities, especially in areas in line with new 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 exchange.

In politics, security and defense, the two sides increased the exchange of delegations at all levels. Maritime cooperation achieved many positive results, especially the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation (December 2023) after 5 years of negotiations. The two sides strengthened cooperation in areas with potential and strengths such as training cooperation, research and transfer of defense technology, and good coordination in implementing multilateral international treaties on crime prevention and control to which both countries are members.

Economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries continue to be a bright spot in recent years. Malaysia maintains its position as Vietnam's third largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth in the world, and is among the top 10 countries with the largest investments in Vietnam. Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries has increased steadily each year, reaching more than 9.23 billion USD by the end of July 2025, an increase of 8% over the same period in 2024 and approaching the target of 18 billion USD in the coming time.

Parliamentary cooperation is one of the important channels contributing to strengthening strategic trust between the two countries. This is not only an important political and legal dialogue channel but also promotes exchanges between young parliamentarians, enhances the exchange of experiences in law-making, thereby adding momentum to economic development, investment and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.

I believe that the upcoming visit of the National Assembly Chairman will not only contribute to strengthening political trust and deepening existing areas of cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia, but also set out specific directions for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries in diverse fields, especially consolidating and enhancing cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian Parliament, becoming a solid political and legal bridge, making practical contributions to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries./.

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/ngoai-giao-nghi-vien-gop-phan-cung-co-doan-ket-thong-nhat-asean-102250915194553053.htm