NA leader’s visit a stepping stone for Vietnam-Thailand to further boost ties
VOV.VN - The visit of National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Thailand is very important in bringing co-operation between the two countries to new heights, emphasised Thai journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn, a veteran scholar and expert on regional issues and a resident reporter for The Nation newspaper (Thailand) in Hanoi for many years, in a recent media interview.
According to Kavi, first of all, the visit by the top Vietnamese legislator is very important for the enhancement of joint relations as NA Chairman Hue is due to meet senior Thai leaders, have an audience with the King, in addition to a special meeting with President of the Thai NA Muhamad Wan Noor Matha and leading parliamentarians.
However, the highlight of the visit will be meeting the overseas Vietnamese community and opening of the world’s first “Vietnam Town”.
This will be the first time in the region there has been such an announcement relating to the presence of the overseas Vietnamese community. It is also recognized in Thailand, especially in Udon Thani, that there is a place called “Vietnam Street”.
This will be very meaningful in Thailand, where more than 100,000 overseas Vietnamese live and increasingly contribute to the host society.
The journalist emphasized that the visit of NA Chairman Hue to Udon Thani is a continuation of the legacy of President Ho Chi Minh, who came and lived in the Isaan region of Northeastern Thailand from 1927 to 1928 during his journey of revolutionary activities and left a good legacy that still exists.
Regarding the co-operative relations between both sides at regional and international forums, Kavi said that the two countries are both located in a very strategic position in the Southeast Asian continent and are nations which play an important role in ASEAN.
According to him, it can be considered very important to mention that Thailand and Vietnam are both members of the Mekong sub-region.
In recent years, the Vietnamese side has made great commitments to augmenting ties in the Mekong and with Thailand under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
Both countries can help to manage water resources sustainably and maintain a green environment, especially by enhancing connectivity and resilience of the Mekong supply chain which can be expanded to a global network.
Kavi also appreciated the fact that the two countries have jointly implemented a "three-connection network", including connections between the private sector with the government and local levels, as well as young start-up businesses.
Assessing the field of parliamentary ties between the two countries, Kavi emphasized that linkages between the two legislative sector is very important. “ASEAN integration is very important and depends a lot on lawmakers,” he said.
Vietnam is in the process of very quickly integrating with ASEAN because the Vietnamese NA has adjusted legislative measures to meet the goal of further integration with the bloc.
The Thai expert sees that there is plenty of room for stronger collaboration between the two countries' parliaments, such as co-operation between NA committees in the parliament, in addition to high-level exchanges between the two countries.
