Top Vietnamese legislator departs Hanoi for official visits to Bangladesh, Bulgaria
VOV.VN - National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and his delegation left Hanoi on September 21 morning for official visits to Bangladesh and Bulgaria at the invitations of Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and President of the NA of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov.
NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, on behalf of Vietnamese senior leaders and their Bangladeshi counterparts, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of both nations' diplomatic relations (1973-2023).
The official visit to Bangladesh is the first by Vietnam's top legislator and by the highest leader to visit Bangladesh since 2018.
The NA Chairman is accompanied by General Secretary of the NA and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong; Chairman of the NA Committee for Foreign Affairs Vu Hai Ha; and Chairman of the NA Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy, among others.
Over the past five decades, the friendly relationship between the two countries has always seen strong developments based on high political trust, which is a solid foundation for the promotion of all-around cooperation.
It is expected to contribute to consolidating and expanding the friendship and effective and practical cooperation between the two countries in a multitude of fields, affirming the commitment of the NA of Vietnam to cooperate with the Bangladeshi Parliament after the Vietnam visit by the Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament in 2017.
Economically, trade exchange between the two countries increased rapidly in the 2010-2014 period, from US$288 million to nearly US$ 800 million, and remained at a positive level in recent years. Bangladesh currently has 18 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$930,000, ranking 101 out of 142 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
On February 8, 1950, Bulgaria was one of the first ten countries in the world to recognise and officially establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The official visit to Bulgaria by NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is made 15 years after the visit to the European country by NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong in 2008.
Hue’s visit is designed to further consolidate and strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria in general and between the two countries’ NAs in particular.
During the visit, the two sides will re-sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the two NAs, bolster bilateral cooperation in multiple fields, accelerate the implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), urge the Bulgarian National Assembly to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and discuss international and regional issues of shared concern
The Vietnamese NA leader’s visits aim to carry out the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations of the 13th Party Congress and the Politburo’s Resolution. The trips are also expected to promote cooperative relations between the NA of Vietnam and the legislative bodies of the two countries, continue to strengthen friendship between Vietnam and Bangladesh, and affirm Vietnam's recognition of great importance to its traditional friendship with Bulgaria.
