Tashkent (VNA) – Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Chairman of the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries Sariev Kakhramon Ramatullaevich and President of the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association Mukhamedov Alisher Rustamovich in Tashkent on April 6 evening as part of his official visit to Uzbekistan.
Both Ramatullaevich and Rustamovich expressed their honour to meet with Man, believing that the visit of the NA Chairman would open up a new page in the relationship between the two countries.
While emphasising the increasingly developing relations between the two nations in recent times, including people-to-people diplomacy, they said the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries and the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association have had many initiatives to strengthen the friendship between the two countries and their people. In particular, the Committee and the Association have translated the poetry collection "Prison Diary" by President Ho Chi Minh into Uzbek (in 2022), composed the song "Tashkent-Hanoi, Hanoi-Tashkent" about the friendship between the two peoples (in 2022) which was awarded the Third Prize of the 9th National External Information Service Awards of Vietnam in 2023.
Sharing about the functions and tasks of the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries, Ramatullaevich expressed his belief that with its position, the Committee will make important contributions to strengthening relations between Uzbekistan and countries around the world, including Vietnam. He expressed his impression of Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements and its increasingly enhanced position in the region and in the international arena, and wished to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as agriculture, education, tourism, light industry, and transport, and at the same time, reinforce cooperation in regional and international forums.
The two officials also expressed their wish that the two sides would organise many training programmes for students of the two countries and increase student and youth exchanges to continue the tradition of friendship between Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
For his part, Man expressed his pleasure at meeting and discussing with Ramatullaevich, Rustamovich and members of the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association, who represent close friends who love and have close bonds with Vietnam.
The NA Chairman said that President Ho Chi Minh visited Uzbekistan in 1959, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also visited Uzbekistan in 2011. His visit this time demonstrates the desire to further promote the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Uzbekistan for the development and prosperity of the two countries and their people. On this occasion, he expressed his gratitude for the warm sentiments and valuable assistance that many generations of Uzbekistan's people and friends, including the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries and members of the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association, have always given to Vietnam in recent times.
Sharing about Vietnam's achievements after nearly 40 years of Doi moi (renewal), the top legislator emphasised that the country has ensured socio-political stability and strong economic recovery, with positive and quite comprehensive results. In 2024, Vietnam’s GDP growth reached more than 7% and its economic scale was about 470 billion USD. Vietnam has signed 17 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) connecting with more than 60 leading economies in the world, while the spirit of entrepreneurship, science and technology, innovation and digital transformation have been strongly promoted.
Regarding the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Uzbekistan, the NA Chairman affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the role of Uzbekistan in the Central Asian region and wishes to develop traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Uzbekistan. This working delegation includes many members of the NA, Government, ministries, sector and localities of Vietnam to explore investment cooperation opportunities in many fields with Uzbekistan.
Highly appreciating the coordination activities between the committee and the two friendship associations of the two countries over the past years, which have carried out many meaningful activities such as regular delegation exchanges; coordinating the organisation of many exchange activities on anniversaries and major holidays and acting as a bridge to promote cooperation between businesses of the two nations, Man stressed that these are all very meaningful activities contributing to tightening and strengthening the friendly relations between the people of Vietnam and Uzbekistan.
To further promote the role and participation of the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries and the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association in strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, he suggested they continue to closely coordinate with Vietnamese agencies such as the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Friendship Association and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Russian Federation (concurrently serving Uzbekistan).
The leader believed that with their close bonds and sentiments to Vietnam and enthusiasm, the Committee and members of the Uzbekistan-Vietnam Friendship Association will continue to support and make active and effective contributions to the further development of the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries./.
