Vietnam-Greece promote parliamentary cooperation

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai began an official visit to Turkey and Greece from September 25 at the invitation of the leaders of the two countries' parliaments, aiming to strengthen friendly relations and promote parliamentary, economic and cultural cooperation.

On this occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Pham Thi Thu Huong gave an interview to the press, highlighting the significance of the visit as well as the role of parliamentary cooperation in the overall traditional friendship between Vietnam and Greece.

Reporter: How does the Ambassador assess the significance of the official visit to Greece by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai for the Vietnam-Greece bilateral cooperation relationship ?

Ambassador Pham Thi Thu Huong : The official visit to Greece by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai from September 30 to October 3 at the invitation of First Vice Chairman of the Greek Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis is of great significance in strengthening political trust and affirming the desire of both sides to promote bilateral relations, including parliamentary cooperation.

Taking place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the visit aims to implement agreements between the two countries' senior leaders, most recently the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025.

During his upcoming visit, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai is expected to hold talks with First Vice Chairman of the Greek Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis; meet with Vice President of Greece Kostis Hatzidakis; work with the Greece-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Greek Parliament chaired by Ms. Makrh Zoh Zetta; meet with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece; and meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Greece, including the family of Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Lap Kostas Sarantidis.

Speaking at the recent ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Greece, First Vice President of the Greek Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis emphasized that Mr. Kostas Sarantidis Nguyen Van Lap and his family are a testament to the relationship between the two countries, the love and admiration that the Greek people have for Vietnam, and he believes that the upcoming official visit to Greece by Vice President of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai will contribute to further tightening inter-parliamentary relations, thereby contributing to promoting relations between the two countries.

During the visit, the Vietnamese Embassy in Greece will coordinate with its Greek partner, New Star Art, to launch the Greek translation of volume 1 of the book “Selected writings of President Ho Chi Minh from 1920-1969” translated from English into Greek by The Gioi Publishing House, providing the copyright for the English translation, to serve foreign information work.

Reporter: Could you point out the outstanding strengths in the Vietnam - Greece relationship over the past 50 years, Ambassador?

Ambassador Pham Thi Thu Huong : After 50 years of establishment, the two countries have maintained a good traditional friendship, especially the warm feelings that the people of the two countries have for each other. Wherever I go, I receive the good feelings of the Greek people for Vietnam. Along with that, the similarities in love of peace on the basis of upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and pride in historical and cultural traditions are important foundations for the connection between the two countries.

We have always received support from Greece from the anti-American resistance war to the period of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and the country's socio-economic development. Greece is one of the first European Union (EU) countries to ratify the Vietnam-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), early approved the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), ratified the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), supported Vietnam's candidacy for membership of the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term and recently supported the "Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son-Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex" to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

Along with maintaining the exchange of high-level delegations at all levels, the two countries have maintained bilateral cooperation in many fields and have signed a number of cooperation documents to promote bilateral relations. Although the economic and trade relations between the two countries are still modest, with nearly 350 million USD in the first 7 months of 2025, it increased by more than 12% over the same period last year and has increased steadily in recent years.

There is still much room for cooperation between the two countries, especially in areas where both countries have strengths such as: maritime transport, industrial products, agriculture, high technology, innovation, labor, culture, tourism, education, publications... Not only in the domestic market, Greece affirmed its readiness to act as a bridge for Vietnam to promote relations with the EU, the Balkan region and the Mediterranean.

On Vietnam's side, we have also committed to being a bridge connecting Greece with the ASEAN region.

Reporter: According to the Ambassador, what should we do to develop the Vietnam-Greece relationship more substantially in the coming time?

Ambassador Pham Thi Thu Huong : The visit to Greece by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai is the second visit by a Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly to Greece in over 10 years (Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu visited Greece in July 2013). The visit shows that cooperation through the National Assembly channel plays an important role in deepening the relationship between the two countries, making it more effective and practical.

Right before the visit, the 15th National Assembly Standing Committee passed a Resolution to establish the Vietnam-Greece Friendship Parliamentary Group, aiming to update and strengthen the Group's activities. This shows our importance in strengthening the cooperation between the two National Assemblies through the Friendship Parliamentary Groups. This visit was also attended by Comrade Pham Dinh Toan, Chairman of the Vietnam-Greece Friendship Parliamentary Group. The Vietnam-Greece Friendship Parliamentary Group is the first step to establish a cooperative relationship between the Vietnam-Greece Parliamentary Group and the Greece-Vietnam Parliamentary Group.

This will be the basis for the two sides to maintain regular exchanges through specialized agencies, promote the sharing of legislative and supervisory experiences as well as the application of digitalization in the activities of the National Assembly and other practical activities, at the request of both sides, creating a foundation for long-term cooperation.

In addition, the two sides also need to continue to maintain and strengthen coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), contributing to strengthening regional peace and security and responding to non-traditional security challenges such as climate change and cyber security.

These efforts not only strengthen the connection between the two legislative bodies but also develop the bilateral relationship substantially, bringing practical benefits to the people of the two countries and contributing to creating a solid foundation for long-term cooperation in the Vietnam-Greece relationship.

Reporter: Thank you very much, Ambassador!

KHANH LINH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-hy-lap-thuc-day-hop-tac-nghi-vien-post910760.html