National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and his entourage were back to Hanoi on Sept. 9 after a busy week in Canada for the first ever G-20 Speakers’ Consultation, and Cuba for an official visit.

NA Committee for External Relations Chairman Nguyen Van Son said the NA leader’s participation in the Toronto event in the capacity of Chairman of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Association-31 with other delegations was an important step towards a new G-20 inter-parliamentary mechanism.

The first Speakers’ Consultation plenary session focused on issues of primary importance such as strategy coordination to ensure global food security, Son said.

The Vietnamese delegation took part in the debates on all three topics, covering strategic coordination to meet demands for production and food distribution, new models for peace and food security, and financial and economic models aimed at boosting global economic stability.

Vietnam ’s viewpoints were warmly welcomed by the host nation, Canada, and other foreign delegations, said the foreign relations chief.

During his stay, Trong held a private meeting with Canadian Senate Speaker Noel A. Kinsella, and there were also other talks between the two parliamentary delegations.

Host and guest discussed practical options for cooperation between the two legislative bodies, ranging from technician training, shipping, industry and agriculture. They emphasised the importance of Vietnamese language teaching for overseas Vietnamese in Canada in an effort to maintain a strong cultural identity among the expatriates.

The legislative chief’s operations there have put it on a par with an official visit to Canada , Son remarked.

On the sidelines of the G-20 speakers’ consultation, the Vietnamese head delegate met with his counterparts from the Republic of Korea , China , Indonesia , Russia and Japan .
They discussed in depth measures to facilitate relations between Vietnam and these countries as well as between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Group of Twenty (G-20).

During his official visit to Cuba , Trong was warmly welcomed by leaders of the host country, including Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro.

In their meetings, the two sides went deeply into a number of issues of mutual concern. The host showed interest in learning experiences from Vietnam in various fields. They pledged everlasting fraternity with Vietnam , describing it as rare in the world and a model that should be handed down from generation to generation./.