General Secretary To Lam met with Speaker of the British House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle

Photo caption — General Secretary To Lam meets with Speaker of the British House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle. Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle welcomed and highly appreciated the official visit of General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, emphasizing that this visit opens a new phase of cooperation, which is of historical significance in bilateral relations in all fields, especially through parliamentary cooperation.

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle expressed his admiration for the heroic tradition of the Vietnamese people in their struggle for national independence and reunification, and was impressed by the achievements Vietnam has made after 80 years of independence, especially in maintaining political stability, socio-economic development, and international integration, considering Vietnam an "Asian tiger." Pleased with the increasingly positive and substantive cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries, Speaker Hoyle emphasized that these are good foundations that contribute significantly to deepening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

Expressing sincere gratitude for the warm sentiments and respectful welcome extended by Speaker Hoyle and the British Parliament to him and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that the Party, State, and National Assembly of Vietnam always attach great importance to developing the traditional friendship with the UK, in which the parliamentary channel plays a practical role in promoting and monitoring the implementation of intergovernmental agreements, while deepening understanding and trust between the two countries. The General Secretary expressed confidence that Vietnam-UK cooperation in various fields, especially parliamentary cooperation, will be further strengthened and elevated, commensurate with the level of the relationship, the potential of both sides, and the expectations of the people of both countries.

Highly appreciating the role of the British House of Commons in the British political system, especially in legislative work and foreign policy planning, as well as the positive contributions of Mr. Hoyle and other British parliamentary leaders to parliamentary cooperation and bilateral relations in the past, the General Secretary requested the British House of Commons to continue to pay attention to, support, and urge the effective implementation of cooperation agreements between the two governments, including the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the Joint Partnership for a Fair Energy Transition (JETP), cooperation programs in education and training, scientific research, innovation, and human resource development; and to continue allocating resources for development cooperation with Vietnam, especially in the fields of clean energy, climate change mitigation, and public health.

The General Secretary thanked the British Parliament for its consistent support in facilitating the successful integration of the Vietnamese community into British society. The General Secretary also requested the British House of Commons to support the negotiation and signing of a labor cooperation agreement between the two countries, creating a legal framework for Vietnamese citizens with legitimate aspirations to work legally in the UK.

Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle emphasized the desire for the two countries to work together to build the future and stated that the House of Commons supports the British Government in strengthening cooperative relations with Vietnam, especially in areas where the UK has strengths such as education and training, healthcare, and combating climate change, and also expressed a desire to enhance people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders agreed to further strengthen cooperation between the two Parliaments through maintaining regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level; establishing friendship parliamentary groups and promoting exchanges between specialized committees; and boosting the exchange of legislative experience, improving the legal framework, and creating favorable conditions for expanding bilateral cooperation.

The two sides also discussed enhancing coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as well as regional parliamentary cooperation mechanisms.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, General Secretary To Lam suggested that the British Parliament continue to maintain an objective and balanced stance, supporting the view of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolving disputes peacefully, based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam conveyed the greetings and invitation to visit Vietnam from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle. Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle happily accepted the invitation and expressed his hope to visit Vietnam soon.

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