Vietnamese and Belgian parliamentary leaders hold talks

Welcoming Senate President D’Hose on her official visit to Vietnam from August 21 to August 25, NA Chairman Hue said the Senate President is the highest-ranking official of Belgium to visit the Southeast Asian country this year amid the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of their strategic partnership in agriculture.

The two leaders consider the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which is being enforced, as an achievement in economic collaboration between the nation and the EU, including Belgium.

NA Chairman Hue therefore called on Belgium to create optimal conditions for Vietnamese goods, especially rice and coffee, to gain access to both the Belgium and EU markets.

Senate President D’Hose suggested the Vietnamese side provide favourable visa-related conditions for citizens of Belgium and other EU member states. In response, NA Chairman Hue said that at its recent fifth session, the Vietnamese NA moved to adopt a law on important amendments to the visa policy for foreigners.

Regarding development ties, the Vietnamese NA Chairman thanked Belgium for its assistance shown to the nation and requested that the two sides continue to collaborated in focal such areas as clean agriculture, renewable energy, digital economy, and green economy via the Belgian Government’s preferential credit package Finexpo, in line with both sides’ conditions and interests.

He therefore proposed that Belgium provide support in terms of resources, finance, institutional building, and manpower training for Vietnam, as well as helping the country to promote sustainable development, boost its circular economy, along with increasing environmental protection and climate change response. This can be seen during the realisation of commitments made at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

During the course of talks the two sides underlined the importance of the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The top Vietnamese legislator called on the Belgian Federal Parliament to speed up the process of ratifying the EVIPA. In response, Senate President D'Hose said that the Belgian Federal Parliament is pushing for the ratification process of the agreement, which is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2024.

NA Chairman Hue also asked the Belgian Federal Parliament to push the European Commission to soon remove its illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood.

He affirmed that Vietnamese authorities are actively carrying out solutions which can sustainably exploit aquatic resources for the country’s benefit.

Both sides hailed the two countries' establishment of a strategic partnership in the agricultural sector and expressed their wish to deepen ties with the establishment of a food supply chain. The NA Chairman suggested the two countries co-operate to improve their capacity in a bid to ensure hygiene, animal and plant quarantine, as well as the overall quality of goods following EU technical standards.

The Vietnamese side therefore welcomes Belgian businesses keen to invest in the country in the fields of green and sustainable development, maintaining existing supply chains, along with developing new supply chains in which the two sides have strengths, NA Chairman Hue told his guest.

State President D'Hose said that the Belgian side will work alongside the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to organise a seminar to promote agricultural ties within the framework of the two countries’ strategic co-operation in agriculture in October this year.

Concerning parliamentary links, the two leaders assessed that joint relations between the Vietnamese NA and the Belgian Federal Parliament in general, as well as the Senate in particular, have developed well, been implemented at all levels, and achieved positive results.

NA Chairman Hue said he hope that the Belgian Federal Parliament will share relevant experience with the Vietnamese legislative body regarding building legal institutions related to digital transformation and just energy transition.

The two sides therefore concurred to intensify the exchanges of high-level delegations and delegations of committees, the two countries' friendship parliamentary groups, female parliamentarians, and young parliamentarians. They consented to promote the mechanism of consultation and mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums, along with co-ordinating in speeding up the implementation of sustainable development goals and the agreements that the two Governments signed.

They will also further support and augment collaboration between localities and the business communities of the two countries.

Senate President D'Hose told the host that a resolution is expected to be approved by the Belgian Chamber of Representatives on support for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam. The resolution will call on the Belgian Government to promote efforts in which to provide more aid to Vietnamese AO victims, as well as provide support to the Vietnamese Government in helping them.

This resolution is being consulted and is expected to be adopted in October, she said, adding that the Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group is very interested in this document.

Belgium remains keen to co-operate and share experience and knowledge in researching and producing dioxin detoxification technology, she said.

Hailing these efforts, NA Chairman Hue said that the Vietnamese side would like to thank the support of the international community, including Belgium, in helping the country to detoxify dioxin and support victims.

During talks, the two leaders compared notes on co-operation in education and training, as well as agreeing to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living in Belgium. This is along with maintaining effective co-ordination at multilateral and international forums such as the UN, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Sharing outstanding results recorded in socio-economic development, especially in sustainable poverty reduction, new-style rural area building, and human rights, the Vietnamese top legislator welcomed Belgium and EU countries for strengthening dialogue and co-operation with Vietnam in these fields for the mutual benefits of both sides. This is along with supporting each other when both members of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023 to 2025 term.

The Vietnamese legislature used the occasion to invite the Belgian Senate and Chamber of Representatives to send a delegation to attend the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians slated for Vietnam in September. The President of the Belgian Senate confirmed that the Belgian side will send a delegation to attend this event.

After the conclusion of talks, the two sides signed a letter of intent on co-operation between the Vietnamese NA and the Belgian Parliament.

The same day saw the Vietnamese NA leader host a banquet in honour of Senate President D'Hose and her delegation.