Permanent NA Vice Chairman delighted at Vietnam-Austria ties
Hanoi (VNA) – Permanent Vice
Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man expressed his
delight at the development of Vietnam-Austria ties during a reception in Hanoi
on April 18 for Austrian Federal Minister for European
and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg.
Man said both sides have maintained the exchange
of delegations at all levels, especially those at high level. Two-way trade hit
3.35 billion USD in 2021, up 5.5% annually. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the
figure hit 2.79 billion USD last year, down 16.7% year-on-year.
He expressed his belief that the visit by the
Austrian minister and his entourage of representatives of over 20 major Austrian enterprises will create a new driving force for the bilateral
relations in various areas, particularly in economy, trade and investment.
He suggested that with strengths in
digital economy, green economy, circular economy, education and vocational
training, Austria should step up collaboration with Vietnam in these fields.
Man hailed the effective collaboration between the two legislatures, manifested by the regular exchange of delegations at all levels and sharing of experience in law building and supervision.
He noted that the Austrian parliament has established the Austria-South Asia/Southeast Asia Friendship Parliamentary
Group to enhance cooperation with parliaments
of countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. The two parliaments also coordinate and support
each other at regional and international parliamentary forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), he said.
The host proposed that the two sides increase the exchange of all-level delegations, especially those at high level, to
create momentum for cooperation across the board. They should also continue offering
mutual support in multilateral parliamentary cooperation mechanisms.
Vietnam always values the ties with Austria
and the European Union, he said, wishing that the Austrian parliament would
soon approve the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement and push for the European Commission’s early removal of yellow card warning against Vietnam’s
aquatic products.
Man also suggested that Austria continue backing
Vietnam's stance on security and safety of navigation and overflight in the East
Sea and the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international
law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, for
the common interests of countries in the international community, contributing
to maintaining an environment of peace, stability and development in the region
and the world.
Schallenberg, for his part, informed the host
about the outcomes of his meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his talks with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and working sessions with several
Vietnamese ministries and agencies.
He said his visit aims to seek cooperation opportunities,
contributing to further propelling forward bilateral ties in various areas,
particularly in economy, trade and investment.
Austria is always ready to cooperate with Vietnam in fields
of its strength, he said, adding that the European country wants to
reinforce ties with Vietnam, its top important partner in Southeast Asia.
Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader’s
proposals, he affirmed that Austria shares the common concern with Vietnam in
the geopolitical issue, especially stability in the region to fuel economic
development.
He expressed his belief that with a shared viewpoint and vision,
Austria and Vietnam are friendly partners of each other.
In such a spirit,
the minister stressed that bilateral policy exchange activities, both through
parliamentary and other channels, will keep growing in the coming time./.