Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highlighted that close cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and its New Zealand counterpart has been an important impetus to promote the comprehensive partnership between the two countries in recent years.

During his meeting with Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives David Carter on March 19, PM Dung spoke highly of positive efforts made by the two countries’ Friendship Parliamentarians Associations, saying they strengthened mutual understanding and trust between the two legislatures.

He congratulated David Carter on his re-election as the Speaker of the NZ House of Representatives for the 2014-2017 term, expressing his belief that under David Carter’s leadership, New Zealand’s legislature and people will see strong achievements in national development.

The Vietnamese leader informed his host on the outcomes of his talks with NZ President John Key earlier on the same day, saying that the two PMs agreed to boost cooperation and deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership towards upgrading it to Strategic Partnership in the future.

The two sides also reached a consensus on signing an aviation transport protocol and a memorandum of understanding on food safety, added PM Dung.

David Carter affirmed the two nations’ legislative bodies and parliaments will continue working closely to enhance the bilateral comprehensive partnership.
The New Zealand House of Representatives supports efforts to strengthen and develop the comprehensive partnership for the sake of the two countries’ peoples as well as for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and around the world, the Speaker stressed.

He also announced that a House of Representatives delegation will attend the 132 nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-132) in Hanoi later this month, aiming to make positive contributions to the important event’s success.-VNA