NA leader affirms readiness to boost strategic partnership with RoK

During her talks with Speaker of the RoK’s NA Park Byeong-seug in Hanoi on November 2, the top Vietnamese legislator welcomed his five-day official visit to Vietnam which she highlighted as a clear demonstration of both nations’ success in the COVID-19 fight, as well as their leaders’ high political trust.

The Vietnamese legislature is willing to join hands with him and the RoK counterpart to further foster the friendship and cooperation between the two legislative bodies as a contribution to the countries’ strategic cooperative partnership, she told his guest.

Ngan was appreciative of the RoK Government’s presentation of the US$300,000 aid to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control to help Vietnam deal with heavy consequences caused by recent storms and floods in the central region.

Speaker Park, the first foreign parliamentary leader to visit Vietnam since the COVID-19 broke out earlier this year, conveyed President Moon Jae-in’s sympathies on flood-triggered loss of life and property to his host.

Vietnam and the RoK have recorded numerous achievements in bilateral relations since their diplomatic ties were established in 1992, noting parliamentary cooperation has been growing steadily via frequent mutual exchange visits by NA leaders.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there remain many areas of cooperation as a means of enhancing economic links and people-to-people exchange, including the facilitation of the entry of each other’s experts and entrepreneurs.

As both countries have managed to bring the COVID-19 under control, the RoK aspires to step up special entry procedures for each other’s citizens along sides with maintaining the coronavirus prevention, the Korean NA Speaker said.

NA Chairwoman Ngan stated that the Vietnam-RoK strategic cooperative partnership has been thriving and becoming increasingly substantive, adding that the two nations have become partners of leading importance to each other across a variety of fields.

Vietnam sticks great importance to the development of the friendship and cooperation with the RoK and the nation is ready to work with the Northeast Asian nation to expand bilateral relations and develop cooperation between the two law-making bodies in multiple fields.

Despites the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, their economic partnership has been maintained with positive figures in terms of investment and trade.

The RoK remains the largest among the 136 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with nearly 9,000 valid projects worth US$70.2 billion. It currently ranks second in ODA provision for, trade with, and reception of workers from Vietnam. It is also one of the key sources of foreign tourists to the Southeast Asian country.

The host legislator laid stress on the necessity to soon organise bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the economic dialogue at the Deputy Prime Minister level and the inter-governmental committee for economic, scientific and technical cooperation, in an appropriate form and to assist their businesses to maintain economic activities.

She suggested both sides augment medical cooperation, especially in public health care, and asked the RoK to facilitate the entry of Vietnam’s agricultural products like dragon fruit, pork, chicken, and mango into its market.

In response to Chairwoman Ngan’s recommendations on stronger labour cooperation and people-to-people exchange, Park said his country greatly values Vietnamese workers’ contributions to local economic development, and it will make suitable moves to receive new workers from Vietnam.

The NA of the RoK will coordinate with the country’s Government to provide appropriate support for Vietnamese women married to RoK citizens, he noted, considering Vietnamese-RoK families as a precious asset in connecting their nations.

At the meeting, Ngan said the Vietnamese NA supports the two governments’ cooperation in security-defence and enhancement of the signing of mutual legal assistance agreements on civil and commercial matters to protect legitimate interests of citizens living in each other’s territories.

She welcomed the opening of the RoK’s Consulate General in Da Nang city, which she said will help reinforce ties between central localities of Vietnam and the RoK.

Regarding cooperation at international and regional forums, Ngan hailed the RoK’s New Southern Policy which lays an emphasis on bolstering relations with ASEAN countries, with Vietnam being the focus.

She assured Vietnam’s willingness to serve as a bridge bolstering multifaceted cooperation between the RoK and ASEAN member states.

Regarding the East Sea issue, both host and guest shared the view on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters, along with peacefully resolving disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Reviewing the NAs’ relations, they said the two parliaments have cooperated well to contribute to the Vietnam-RoK strategic cooperative partnership.

Via parliamentary diplomacy, the NAs have helped enhance political trust and people-to-people exchange, expand and improve the effectiveness of cooperation in different fields, and share views on regional and international issues of shared concern.

They have also voiced support for the two governments’ cooperation programmes and plans as well as the regional cooperation and connectivity frameworks that both countries promote, according to the leaders.

At the talks, both parliamentary leaders consented to maintain all-level meetings in flexible forms amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to create a favourable environment for concurrently fighting against the disease, boosting socio-economic development, and gradually bringing bilateral collaboration to normal.

They will further listen to opinions from Vietnamese and RoK citizens so as to supervise the implementation of and build policies and laws, thus creating a stable and optimal legal environment for citizens living in each other’s territories. Additionally, they will also continue bringing into play the role of their parliamentary friendship groups.

Speaker Park said the countries will mark the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2022, when Vietnam and the RoK should propel their cooperation forward as Vietnam is not only the key partner in his country’s New Southern Policy but also plays a crucial role in ASEAN.

He also thanked Vietnam for assisting RoK businesses to operate in the country.
Ngan affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance on supporting the peace and denuclearisation process of the Korean Peninsula.

Earlier the same day, the RoK NA Speaker paid homage to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi and laid a wreath in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh.