Vietnam and Hungary have signed agreements on criminal extradition and the transfer of sentenced persons during State President Truong Tan Sang’s official visit to the European country.

Other cooperative documents were also inked, including a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Health Ministry and the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources, a cooperation deal on sports, physical training and a cultural cooperation plan for 2014-2016.

The signing was part of the meetings between President Truong Tan Sang and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban Viktor and Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament Kover Laszlo on September 16 (local time).

At these meetings, the two sides referred to Vietnam’s rapid, stable economic growth and its nearly 90-million people market and Hungary’s strengths in pharmacy, agriculture, education-training, information technology and the farm produce processing industry as an important foundation for the bilateral multi-faceted cooperation to be stepped up in the coming time.

President Sang praised the role of the Vietnam-Hungary Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the mutually beneficial areas, suggesting enhancing the capacity and operational efficiency of this mechanism further.

He spoke highly of the dynamic cooperation between the two countries’ legislative bodies while lauding the active coordinating role of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group in fostering the legislative ties.

The two sides agreed that close and effective collaboration of the two legislative bodies will significantly contribute to consolidating wide-ranging bilateral relations.

President Sang, on the occasion, voiced his hope that Hungary will continue backing Vietnam during negotiations for a free trade agreement and providing Official Development Assistance to the Southeast Asian country.
 
He pledged Vietnam’s willingness to help Hungary enhance linkages with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its member countries.

The Hungarian leaders, on their part, laid stress on the importance of cultural exchange and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

They gave high estimations to the over 4,000 Vietnamese people community in Hungary and over 4,000 Vietnamese experts trained in their country, saying these people have served as a crucial bridge for the two countries’ ties to grow further in the coming time.

The same day, President Sang met with representatives of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Organisation and war veterans who took part in the International Commission of Control and Supervision under the Paris Peace Agreement.

He attended the opening ceremony of an exhibition on Vietnam’s porcelain products at the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography.-VNA