National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with President of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva in Tashkent on the afternoon of April 5 (local time), following an official welcome ceremony.

Narbaeva warmly welcomed Man on his official visit to Uzbekistan, highlighting the significance of this first visit by a Vietnamese NA Chairman since the establishment of diplomatic ties . She expressed confidence that the visit will open up new cooperation opportunities and contribute positively to the development of both countries.

The Senate President described Vietnam as one of the most dynamically developing countries in Asia and a close friend of Uzbekistan, bound by a time-tested traditional friendship. She affirmed that geographical distance would not hinder the development of bilateral ties and recalled fond memories of meeting Vietnamese students in Tashkent during her youth.

Chairman Man, representing Vietnamese Party and State leaders, expressed his pleasure in leading a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese NA to visit Uzbekistan and attend the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-150). He thanked Narbaeva and the Uzbekistan side for the warm reception and shared memories of Vietnam's longstanding ties with Uzbekistan.

On the occasion, the top NA leader congratulated Uzbekistan on its impressive development achievements and its growing role in the region and internationally, as well as for hosting IPU-150, which underscored the country’s increasing global standing.

Recalling the visits to Uzbekistan by President Ho Chi Minh in 1959 and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2011, Man reaffirmed Vietnam’s appreciation for the long-standing friendship and expressed a desire to step up cooperation across all areas. He emphasized Vietnam's enduring gratitude for Uzbekistan's past support in the country's struggles for national liberation and current development efforts.

Sharing Vietnam's socio-economic achievements over nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (renewal), Man noted that the country is now striving to fulfill the goals of the 2021-2025 development plan, aiming to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045, on the occasion of its 100th founding anniversary.

Narbaeva expressed admiration for Vietnam’s remarkable transformation under the leadership of successive generations and greatly valued the country's development goals, especially efforts to improve citizens' incomes and living standards.

She affirmed her nation’s high regard for its traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, identifying Vietnam as an important partner in Southeast Asia. Narbaeva also outlined Uzbekistan's ongoing institutional reforms and socio-economic development priorities, which share a people-centered focus with Vietnam.

In a spirit of trust and openness, the two leaders welcomed the establishment of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Groups and agreed on the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation across all channels, including Party, State, legislature, and people-to-people exchange.

They underscored the need to boost delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level visits, ramp up cooperation between committees, friendship groups, young and women parliamentarians, and promote parliamentary oversight of the implementation of signed cooperation agreements, particularly those aimed at economic and trade ties. The two sides pledged to support each other in expanding inter-parliamentary relations within the region.

Recognising untapped potential in economic and trade cooperation, both leaders consented to focus on key directions for mutually beneficial collaboration. They laid stress on the need to intensify policy and market information exchange, facilitate trade and investment promotion activities, and boost cooperation in energy and oil and gas, sectors where both countries have strong demand and potential, especially in light of investment diversification efforts.

They also stressed the importance of cooperation in agriculture, textiles, health care, culture, tourism, education and training, transport, local-level collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges. They called for greater educational cooperation and student exchanges, and welcomed the launch of direct flights between Khanh Hoa and Tashkent, set to start in June 2024.

The leaders also agreed on the importance of boosting coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, including the United Nations and other international organizations to which both countries belong.

As an active member of ASEAN and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Vietnam pledged to serve as a bridge for Uzbekistan to expand cooperation with ASEAN, AIPA, and other member parliaments. Man also called on Uzbekistan to support ASEAN and Vietnam’s positions on peacefully resolving East Sea disputes based on international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Narbaeva agreed with Man's proposal to pay attention to and support the Vietnamese community living, studying, and doing business in Uzbekistan, while enabling them to stabilize their lives and further contribute to the host country and bilateral ties.

The top Vietnamese legislator extended an invitation for Narbaeva to visit Vietnam. She accepted the invitation and confirmed that a delegation comprising representatives from the Senate and the Legislative Chamber will pay a working visit to Vietnam.

Following the talks, host and guest signed a cooperation agreement between the two legislative bodies.

Vietnam-Uzbekistan political consultation discusses cooperation orientations

VOV.VN - Vietnam and Uzbekistan reviewed and discussed specific measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation during their political consultation in capital Tashkent on March 4.