National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung (R) shakes hands with Parliament Speaker of Sweden Urban Ahlin (Photo: VNA)
The top legislators of Vietnam and Sweden agreed to work for stronger cooperation between the two countries during their meeting on the sidelines of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in New York on September 2 (Vietnam time).
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said he hopes the Swedish Parliament will continue to assist with driving bilateral collaboration in economics, trade, culture, and education, including encouraging Swedish businesses to increase investment in Vietnam.
He expressed his wish that Sweden will serve as a bridge to enhance ties between Vietnam and Northern European countries. In turn, Vietnam is willing to help Sweden expand rapports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said.
NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung also asked the Swedish Parliament to support Vietnam’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure and a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for 2016-2018.
Swedish Parliament Speaker Urban Ahlin congratulated Vietnam on its National Day (September 2, 1945) and the country’s socio-economic achievements over years, including the successful organisation of the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132).
He confirmed Sweden will work with the Vietnamese National Assembly to nurture the two countries’ relations and share working experience in particular.
He proposed the two sides increase trade and tighten cooperation at international forums in line with the aspiration of the two people.
Earlier the same day, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung received President of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Sam Kahama Kutesa who hailed the role of the Vietnamese parliament and Vietnam’s performance in implementing the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The President said he hopes the National Assembly of Vietnam will continue to make more contributions to the UNGA’s activities and programmes, especially the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on national, regional and global scales.-VNA
