National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son met with President of the Malaysian House of Senate Abu Zahar Ujang in Kuala Lumpur on July 25 as part of his four-day visit to the country.

The Malaysian host said he is delighted to see constant developments in the Vietnam-Malaysia relations in many fields - especially economics and trade - over the last 40 years.

As members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia hopes to cooperate more closely with Vietnam and support each other at regional and international forums, especially the International Parliament Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), he said.

He also expressed his wish that the two Governments will further tighten relations between the two peoples, for instance in tourism, to benefit both sides.

NA Vice Chairman Son spoke highly of the two countries’ joint implementation of practical activities to mark the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, saying he hopes that they will contribute to creating a new driving force, strengthening the two countries’ relations, looking towards a strategic partnership.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Son reaffirmed Vietnam’s policy on resolving disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, asking concerned parties not to use or threaten the use of force, and strictly and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and advance the building of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

During his visit to Malaysia, which started on July 24, the Vietnamese legislator had a working session with Ismail Mohd Said, Vice President of the House of Representatives.

The two sides exchanged measures to further boost ties between the two legislative bodies.

The Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA also met with Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri, during which he asked that the two sides seek measures to implement joint activities as part of the bilateral defence cooperation agreement, enhance cooperation between the two countries’ naval forces as well as those in charge of maritime security, advance the signing of a joint patrol agreement and the establishment of hotlines between the two navies.

He asked the Malaysian side to consider an amnesty for Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels detained in Malaysia.-VNA