Top Vietnamese, Malaysian legislators hold talks in Hanoi

Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man held talks with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia Tan Sri Dato' Johari Bin Abdul in Hanoi on October 23, the Government News has reported.

During the talks, the top Vietnamese legislator welcomed the Malaysian Speaker’s official visit to Vietnam, saying the visit contributes to consolidating the friendly and cooperative relations between the two nations across various areas as well as enhancing the practical and effective cooperation between the Vietnamese and Malaysian legislatures.

The NA chairman expressed his pleasure at the positive and practical development of the bilateral ties over the past half-century via the Party, State, and people-to-people exchange channels and in all fields.

He congratulated Malaysia on its remarkable economic achievements, helping Malaysia to become one of the top 27 competitive economies in the world, and expressed his belief that the Malaysian House of Representatives will play a pivotal role in driving national economic development, improving living standards of local people and enhancing Malaysia's global and regional positions.

Mr. Johari, for his part, affirmed that Vietnam and Malaysia are important parts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the two nations are working together to drive economic growth and share sci-tech and energy achievements.

The Vietnamese NA leader suggested Malaysia continue facilitating the exchange of all-level delegations, and effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements, toward lifting two-way trade to $18 billion in a balanced manner.

He spoke highly of Malaysia's stance on addressing the East Sea issue, calling on both sides to collaborate with other ASEAN countries to uphold ASEAN's viewpoint on the East Sea issue, promote the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and negotiate an effective and practical Code of Conduct on the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Regarding the relationship between the Vietnamese and Malaysian parliaments, the top Vietnamese legislator said that he is delighted to see that the relationship has been consolidated and enhanced both bilaterally and within the framework of international and regional inter-parliamentary forums of which both sides are members, most recently at the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45).

He suggested that the two sides should study and promote the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian House of Representatives and Senate to create a foundation to promote and deepen cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

The Vietnamese NA chairman welcomed Malaysia's establishment of the "Malaysia – Vietnam Friendship Association" in 2022. He said he hoped that the Malaysian House of Representatives will continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, work and study in Malaysia.

Mr. Man also expected that the Malaysian House of Representatives will continue to create a favorable legal corridor for the two governments to effectively implement signed cooperation agreements, especially the action program to carry out the Vietnam - Malaysia strategic partnership for the 2021-2025 period.

He hoped that the Malaysian parliament, in its role as AIPA Chair 2025, will keep promoting strong cooperation within AIPA, contributing to deepening relations between ASEAN parliaments and creating a space for effective and substantive dialogue on important regional issues.