Vietnam, Finland strengthen legislative ties

At a meeting with Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Maria Lohela, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien suggested the two sides continue high-level delegation exchanges and coordination at international forums.

Vietnam is willing to boost cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, including Finland, he said.

He said that two-way trade topped US$322 million in 2015, a year-on-year rise of 22.6 percent, and Finland ’s direct investment in Vietnam stood at US$321 million.

Both nations should encourage businesses to explore cooperation opportunities, especially in education, the environment, information technology, telecommunication, agriculture, forestry, green technology and renewable energy, he recommended.

The Vietnamese Government and NA will create favourable laws for European enterprises and Finnish firms to invest in Vietnam , he affirmed, saying that Vietnam has signed 10 free trade agreements and is preparing to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

He thanked the Finnish Government for providing Vietnam with official development assistance, focusing on poverty reduction, water drainage and climate change adaptation.

Maria Lohela congratulated Vietnam on the successful organisation of the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) in March 2015, and said Finland is ready to expand partnerships with Vietnam in various fields, particularly economics, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

While working with Chairperson of the Finnish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Matti Vanhanen, the Vietnamese legislator suggested the two sides increase exchanges on parliamentary activities.

The host said with a young population of about 90 million, Vietnam is positioned to develop its economy and attract investment.