Dublin (VNA) — Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on October 3 met with high-ranking officials of the Oireachtas – the legislature of Ireland, namely Jerry Buttimer, Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Éireann (speaker of the upper house), and Catherine Connolly, Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the Dáil Éireann (deputy speaker of the lower house).
Hosting the Vietnamese leader, Buttimer stated that Lam's state visit to Ireland is an important event in the countries’ relationship, helping to further strengthen their diplomatic relations, established in 1996.
He expressed admiration for Vietnam's socio-economic achievements and welcomed its decision to open an embassy in Ireland.
Experiencing challenges in the past, both Vietnam and Ireland now have growing influence on the international stage, he noted.
Meanwhile, Lam affirmed that Vietnam treasures its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Ireland, and wishes to enhance bilateral parliamentary cooperation.
Lauding the establishment of the Vietnam-Ireland parliamentary friendship group within Vietnam's National Assembly and the corresponding Ireland-Vietnam group within the Irish parliament, he stressed that they serve as crucial bridges to reinforce ties between the two legislative bodies, as well as between the two nations.
Both sides agreed to deepen bilateral relations through increasing delegation exchanges, particularly between their parliamentary committees and friendship groups, sharing legislative experience, and organising policy dialogues and theoretical seminars.
They pledged that Vietnam and Ireland will work closely and support each other at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP). They agreed on promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), gender equality, and response to climate change and global challenges, while expanding people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in education-training, agriculture, tourism, and sustainable development.
Lam asked the Irish parliament to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to further facilitate bilateral investments and called on the European Commission (EC) to swiftly lift its “yellow card” warning regarding illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing against Vietnamese seafood.
The leaders of the Irish parliament appreciated the contributions made by the Vietnamese community to Ireland's socio-economic development, affirming a commitment to supporting the community in integrating into the host society, thus enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two nations.
Both sides expressed their pleasure at Vietnam's upcoming opening of its embassy in Dublin, viewing this as a significant step toward strengthening cooperation between the two countries and between their parliaments in particular.
They also agreed on the need to enhance collaboration in responding to climate change, particularly for coastal nations like Vietnam and Ireland.
Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides voiced their support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s stance on ensuring peace, stability, safety, security, and freedom of navigation, and resolving disputes through peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
