At the talks between NA Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man and First Vice President of the Belgian Senate Andries Gryfloy. (Photo: VNA) At a meeting with President of the Belgian Senate Stephanie D'Hose andPresident of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives Eliane Tillieux, Manthanked the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for adopting a resolution tocall for support to Agent Orange/dioxin (AO) victims in Vietnam in October, andhanded over the thank-you letter from NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to the Belgianleaders.
Heaffirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the development of cooperativeties with Belgium - an important member of the European Union (EU) - and wantsto beef up comprehensive cooperation with Belgium in all fields.
Vietnam believed that the country and Belgium will make contributions to the UNHuman Rights Council (UNHRC)'s common affairs towards enhancing its efficiency,transparency, objectiveness and balance in the spirit of dialogue, cooperation,equality and mutual respect, Man said.
TheVietnamese leader proposed Belgium complete the process of ratifying the EU-VietnamInvestment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) soon, thus motivating bilateralinvestment ties and creating favourable conditions for Belgian investors tooperate in Vietnam.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese NA will coordinate closely with the Belgian Parliamentin implementing the Letter of Intent on parliamentary cooperation reachedduring President of the Belgian Senate Stephanie D'Hose’s recent visit toVietnam and hoped that the two legislatures would soon sign an agreement onparliamentary cooperation.
NA Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man hands over thank-you letter from NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to the Belgian leaders. (Photo: VNA) Agreeing with D'Hose, Tillieux affirmed that the parliaments of Vietnam andBelgium have shared sound relations, and the friendship parliamentarians’groups of the two countries have conducted active activities to promote theirrole in fostering the ties between the two legislatures and the two countries.
She said that the Belgian Government has paid great attention to developingeconomic partnership with Vietnam and wishes to further promote bilateralinvestment cooperation.
Belgium's Wallonia region has chosen Vietnam as the only Asian country toestablish its delegation and carried out many activities to support Vietnamover the past 25 years.
At his talks with First Vice President of the Belgian Senate Andries Gryfloy,Man hailed the parliaments of Flanders and Wallonia regions’ approval of theEVIPA, and suggested Belgium conclude the ratification of the agreement soon topromote the bilateral investment partnership.
Man proposed Belgium call on the European Commission (EC) to remove its “yellowcard” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports, taking into consideration thecountry's determination and efforts to fully implement the EC's recommendationson developing the sustainable fishery sector.
Man welcomed the two countries' cooperation in strengthening the strategicpartnership in agriculture, expressing his hope that Belgium will supportVietnam to develop models of circular agricultural economy and smartagriculture and implement the National Strategy on Green Growth for the2021-2030 period.
The two sides should consider establishing a trilateral cooperation mechanismbetween Vietnam, Belgium and an African partner with financial and logisticalsupport from Belgium, to jointly respond to supply chain disruptions,contributing to ensuring global food security.
Noting that about 13,000 Vietnamese people are living, working and studying inBelgium, Man asked Belgium to continue creating favourable conditions for thecommunity to settle down and successfully integrate into the host society.
For his part, Gryfloy suggested the Vietnamese side consider visa exemptionsfor Belgian investors and open direct flights from Brussels to Vietnam tofacilitate the investment and export cooperation between the two nations.
At aworking session with Vice President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala,Man expressed his delight at the positive growth of Vietnam-EU relations aswell as the cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the EP.
He called for the EP’s support for the increased cooperation between Vietnamand the EU in the fields of green transformation, digital transformation, andresponse to climate change as well as the EC's removal of its "yellowcard" warning against seafood imports from Vietnam.
Man also asked the EP to encourage the EU and its member countries to continueto have a strong voice and support for the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on thepeaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea on the basis of respect forinternational law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (UNCLOS).
Man took this occasion to invite the EP Vice President to visit Vietnam soon.
Hautala said that the EU will soon pass a bill on corporate socialresponsibility assessment to promote responsible businesses. Hautala, who is incharge of issues related to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest LawEnforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) and forestry cooperation withVietnam, showed attention to the implementation of the agreement and Vietnam'sdeforestation prevention efforts.
She hailed Vietnam’s drastic policies to fight deforestation and itscommitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).
On the IUU issue, the EP leader applauded Vietnam's efforts and hoped that theEC will soon remove its yellow card against the country's seafood. Regardingthe EVIPA, she said that 17 out of 27 EU member countries have ratified thedeal.
Meeting André Flahaut, member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and thegroup of parliamentarians sponsoring the resolution supporting Vietnamese AOvictims, Man thanked them as well as organisations and individuals of Belgiumand international friends for supporting AO victims in Vietnam.
On the occasion, Flahaut handed over four wheelchairs to the Vietnamese NAdelegation to present to AO victims in Vietnam./.
VNA
