Vietnam treasures relations with Belgium: NA Vice Chairman
In its foreign policy, Vietnam always treasures its comprehensive partnership and cooperation with the European Union as well as Belgium and other EU member nations, Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man said at a reception for visiting First Vice President of the Belgian Senate Andries Gryffroy in Hanoi on November 16.
Man highly appreciated Gryffroy's important contributions to promoting Vietnam-Belgium and Vietnam-EU relations, saying that Vietnam wishes to receive more support from Belgium in promoting stronger and more effective cooperative ties with the union.
He thanked the Belgian government, parliament and people for donating 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam at the toughest time of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2021.
The Vice Chairman hoped that Belgian parliamentarians would continue to prompt the Belgian Parliament and parliaments of EU member states to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and promote the effective implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), thus creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods and agricultural products to enter the EU market.
Man suggested the two sides enhance cooperation, effectively implement bilateral mechanisms, maintain the exchange of all-level delegations, and closely coordinate at multilateral forums, especially the ASEAN - EU summit; foster the sharing of experience in law-making, supervision and decision-making.
For his part, Gryffroy said he is delighted at the fruitful development in the relationship between the two countries and their legislative bodies in the recent past.
He affirmed that the signing of the EVFTA and EVIPA is important to promoting the bilateral relations, bringing practical benefits to Vietnamese and European people.
Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader's proposals, Gryffroy expressed his hope that the two sides will work closely to promote cooperation and the exchange of delegations between their legislative bodies, helping to deepen the Vietnam - Belgium relations.
