Top Vietnamese legislator begins official visit to Argentina

Those in attendance at the airport included Cecilia Todesca Bocco, Secretary for International Economic Relations at the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, President of the Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group Maria Rose Martinez, Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh alongside Vietnamese Embassy staff.

During the visit, the Vietnamese NA leader is scheduled to hold talks and meet with senior leaders of Argentina, sign a cooperation agreement between the two NAs, attend a business forum, visit the Vietnamese Embassy and meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Argentina.

He will also witness the signing of cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors and both nations’ localities.

The visit is expected to contribute to strengthening the traditional friendship and solidarity, and mutual support between Vietnam and Argentina, and augmenting cooperative ties between the two legislatures, thereby advancing the Vietnam-Argentina comprehensive partnership in a more practical and effective manner in the time ahead.

Argentina was one of the three Latin American countries, after Cuba and Chile, to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam on October 25, 1973. Over the past five decade, the friendship and cooperation between the two nations have been strengthened and grown steadily.
Within the multilateral framework, parliamentarians of both countries have maintained meetings, coordination and mutual consultation, especially at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Relations between the Vietnamese and Argentine legislative bodies have been developing fruitfully through the exchange of delegations and meetings within the frameworks of multilateral parliamentary forums. The Vietnamese NA has dispatched delegations for working visits to Argentina, including trips by high-ranking leaders and the NA’s committees.

Vietnam has regarded Argentina one of its leading important partners in Latin America. Along with sound political-diplomatic relations, their economic, trade and investment ties have continued to witness positive development, serving as a foundation for the long-term relationship between the two nations.

Argentina and Latin American nations as well, promote the possibility of conducting negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

The two countries' multilateral cooperation is increasingly close at international forums and organizations as they offer mutual support  at the United Nations, the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Vietnam is the 6th biggest trading partner and the 5th largest export market of Argentina in the world and a key partner of Argentina in the South-South cooperation in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Argentina is Vietnam’s 3rd biggest trading partner in Latin America. The two nations have signed numerous cooperation agreements and deals to create a basis for propelling the Vietnam-Argentina comprehensive cooperation forward.

Two-way trade has seen constant growth, from US$316 million in 2007 to more than US$4.8 billion in 2022, a 15-fold increase. The two countries have set to elevate the bilateral trade value to US$10 billion by 2025.