Top leaders assure Viet Nam treasures ties with New Zealand

The Party chief spoke highly the outcomes of the talks held earlier between Prime Minister Ardern and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, including the agreed measures to enhance political and economic ties, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in various areas, as well as the signing of cooperation agreements.

He highly valued the development of the bilateral relations, especially the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in 2020.

The Party leader thanked New Zealand for assisting Viet Nam in the deployment of the Viet Nam-New Zealand Action Program for the 2021-2024 period and in the fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his belief that the first Viet Nam visit by Ardern, taking place from November 14-17, would significantly contribute to promoting the Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

He took the occasion to thank New Zealand for its vaccine and financial support for the COVID-19 fight and continued provision of non-refundable aid to Viet Nam.

The two sides should strengthen education-training cooperation, locality-to-locality connections and people-to-people exchanges, soon reopen seasonal direct flights, and support each other to improve the quality of agricultural products for export, he suggested.

The Chairman of the National Assembly expressed his delight at the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two legislatures over the past years, particularly the establishment of the Viet Nam-New Zealand Friendship Parliamentarians' Group by the 15th Vietnamese National Assembly, and the New Zealand-Pacific Parliamentary Friendship Group by the New Zealand Parliament.

He proposed the two sides increase the exchange of visits, step up cooperation between parliamentary committees and friendship parliamentarians' groups of the two countries to share information and experience, and work toward the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two legislatures.

The two sides should continue mutual support and close coordination at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP), the top Vietnamese legislator said.

The Vietnamese National Assembly will monitor the implementation of signed agreements, including the 2021-2024 Action Program for the implementation of the bilateral strategic partnership and the two agreements signed during Ardern's visit, he said.

Prime Minister Ardern, for her part, affirmed that New Zealand always attaches importance to consolidating and developing relations with Viet Nam, a strategic partner of her country in ASEAN and the region.

Ardern stressed that she will work closely with the Government and relevant agencies of Viet Nam to advance the two countries' Strategic Partnership in a deeper and more substantive and effective manner. 

She pledged to continue support for Viet Nam to improve the quality of some fruits for better access to international markets.

On regional and global issues of shared concern, the leaders underscored the importance of strengthening trust, dialogue, friendly cooperation and goodwill in seeking solutions to global issues, and enhancing coordination in global issues and at multilateral forums for peace and cooperation in the region and the world./.