Hanoi (VNA) – President Luong Cuong received Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Kover Laszlo in Hanoi on October 20, describing the guest's official visit as a contribution to the countries' Comprehensive Partnership and legislative ties.
President Cuong warmly welcomed Speaker Laszlo and the Hungarian, who are paying an official visit to Vietnam from October 18 to 22 at the invitation of Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, noting that the visit holds great significance as the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1950–2025).
Taking place shortly after the Hungarian President’s official visit to Vietnam in May, Speaker Laszlo's trip demonstrates the high level of trust between the two nations and will further advance their Comprehensive Partnership, particularly in inter-parliamentary cooperation.
The State leader sincerely appreciated Hungary’s valuable support for Vietnam during the latter's past struggle for national liberation and current national development.
Vietnam always treasures and wishes to strengthen cooperation with Hungary, a leading partner and also the first comprehensive partner of Vietnam in Central and Eastern Europe, he remarked.
Speaker Laszlo said he is delighted to visit Vietnam again after 10 years, conveying greetings from President Sulyok Tamas and other Hungarian leaders. He thanked the Vietnamese leadership and people for their warm and respectful welcome.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in bilateral ties, particularly since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2018. While many mutual visits at all levels have been organised, economic and trade cooperation remains a bright spot, with bilateral trade averaging around 1 billion USD annually during 2020–2024. Collaboration in defence – security, education – training, culture, and environmental protection has also grown substantially.
President Cuong highly valued the outcomes of the talks between the two parliamentary leaders and called for continued coordination between their legislatures to create a favourable legal corridor to facilitate bilateral cooperation, thus meeting the interests of both nations and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development regionally and globally.
To make bilateral cooperation more practical and effective, the host suggested strengthening political trust through more exchanges at all levels; expanding economic, trade, investment, defence – security, science – technology, education – training, culture, and tourism ties; boosting people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding; and expanding partnerships jto new areas that they are complementary to each other.
Agreeing with these proposals, Speaker Laszlo said the two legislatures will work closely to implement high-level agreements, support the two Governments to bolster collaboration in all fields, and support efforts to raise bilateral trade to 2 billion USD in the near future.
He affirmed the Hungarian National Assembly’s readiness to promote the ratification of the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the remaining EU member countries, and to support the European Commission's lifting of the IUU fishing "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood exports.
The Speaker praised the contributions by the Vietnamese community in Hungary and pledged continued support for their integration and development.
At the meeting, both leaders agreed that their countries will enhance coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and within the ASEAN – EU framework. They reaffirmed the countries' support for the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law to maintain security and stability in each region.
In the current context of growing global strategic competition and division, Speaker Laszlo emphasised the importance of reinforcing multilateral cooperation and constructive engagement in regional and international issues for peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development.
On this occasion, he conveyed an invitation from President Sulyok Tamas for President Cuong to visit Hungary. The Vietnamese President gladly accepted and said the visit will be arranged through the diplomatic channel./.
