Top legislator holds talks with Speaker of Belarus’ Senate

Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan holds talks with Speaker of the Belarusian Council of the Republic Natalia Kochanova in the capital city of Minsk on December 12, 2019

Kochanova said the Vietnamese top legislator’s visit will take the two countries’ long-standing friendship and multi-faceted cooperation to the next level.

Belarus sees Viet Nam as a strategic partner and a springboard for increasing its economic presence in the Southeast Asia, Kochanova affirmed.

She said Viet Nam’s recent achievements have contributed to promoting Viet Nam-Belarus relations, especially the implementation of many economic cooperation projects between the two sides, to new heights.

Kochanova stated bilateral economic and trade relations have yet to be commensurate with traditional friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, asking the two sides to further enhance cooperation in the field.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese top legislator Ngan, who is on an official visit to Belarus from December 12-14, said Viet Nam always treasures the friendly relations with Belarus, which date back to the times of the Soviet Union.

Ngan welcomed the cooperation between the two countries’ localities, with many of them having signed cooperation deals, such as Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City with Minsk, Da Nang with Grosno, Quang Ninh with Minsk, Grosno and Brest with Hai Phong, Binh Thuan with Vichebsk, and Lao Cai with Brest.

Regarding the East Sea situation, NA Chairwoman Ngan affirmed Viet Nam’s consistent policy of settling disputes by peaceful means and in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards finalizing a substantial and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea; and ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea.

Viet Nam expects Belarus to continue support for peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea and for full respect of diplomatic and legal processes, on the basis of international law, including the UNCLOS 1982, she said.

Both sides agreed that they need to help joint ventures of the two countries gain a broader access to Asian and European markets and that a Belarus Day will be held in Viet Nam in 2021.

The same day, Ngan also met with Chairman of the House of Representatives of the NA of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko./.

By Vien Nhu