Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son led a
delegation to Singapore from July 29-30 to boost bilateral cooperation,
especially between the two legislative bodies.
On July 30, Son was received by Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament
Halimah Yacob, who expressed her hope to boost the two legislatures’
cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
She suggested the two sides strengthen coordination at the ASEAN
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and other international forums.
Son affirmed that Vietnam will continue cooperating with other
ASEAN and AIPA member countries, including Singapore, to form a
united and developed ASEAN Community by 2015.
The two legislative bodies should increase the exchange of delegations
at all levels, pay attention to cooperation between their committees,
consider the signing of cooperative agreements and speed up the
establishment of a friendship parliamentarians’ group in each country,
he said.
The top Singaporean legislator
acknowledged the Vietnamese side’s proposals, affirming that Singapore
will accelerate the establishment of a parliamentarians’ group with
Vietnam, and send a high-ranking delegation the 132nd General Assembly
of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) to be held in
Vietnam in 2015.
During its stay in
Singapore, the Vietnamese delegation also held working sessions with
other senior Singaporean officials, including Senior Minister of State
for Defence Chan Chun Sing, Second Minister for Home Affairs S
Iswaran, Defence Permanent Secretary Chan Yeng Kit and Deputy Director
of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign
Affairs Ellen Lee.
At the meetings, the
Vietnamese side spoke highly of Singapore’s socio-economic and
diplomatic achievements over the past time, as well as the country’s
increasing role in ASEAN and other regional and international
organisations.
Son applauded the two countries’
active discussions on the content of their strategic partnership to be
announced during Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s coming
visit to Vietnam.
He also expressed his
belief that the strategic partnership will be a driving force to lift
bilateral cooperation to a new height, for the interests of the two
peoples, and for peace, stability and development in the region and the
world.
The Singaporean officials agreed to seek
new cooperation fields with Vietnam while maintaining the effective
implementation of current cooperation mechanisms.
They said the Vietnamese delegation’s visit contributed to
strengthening the two countries’ friendship as they celebrate the 40th
anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.-VNA