Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong (L) and President of the Italian Senate Ignazio La Russa at their meeting in Rome on July 26. (Photo: VNA) President Thuong highlighted theimportance of his visit as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of theirstrategic partnership, affirming that Vietnam always attaches importance to thestrategic partnership with Italy, including the close cooperation between their legislative bodies.
Welcoming his guest, La Russa said thevisit is the first at the head of state level between the two countries inseven years, forming an important milestone in the bilateral ties.
He applaudedthe strong progress in their multifaceted cooperation, underlined thefriendship and solidarity between the two nations' peoples, and stated that Vietnam isthe most important partner of Italy in the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN).
The SenatePresident also voiced his support for Vietnam to act as a bridge linking theItalian Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).
The twoleaders agreed that their countries will coordinate closely and support eachother at inter-parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)so as to contribute to regional and global peace, cooperation, and development.
President Thuong called on both sides toincrease all-level delegation exchanges between the states, governments, andparliaments; maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateralforums like the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU framework to jointly respondto regional and global issues; and step up partnerships in education -training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
La Russa agreed on his guest’s proposalto create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to successfullyintegrate into the social and economic life of Italy and continue helping strengthenthe bilateral friendship.
He also showed support for the two countries’ economic ties, noting that more than 100 Italian businesses areoperating fruitfully in Vietnam.
On this occasion, President Thuongconveyed National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s invitation to visit Vietnamto Senate President La Russa, who accepted the invitation with pleasure./.
VNA
