In his welcome speech,  Ambassador Eduardo Lionel Demayo, Director of the Argentine Foreign Service Institute, underlined that Argentina considers Vietnam an important partner in Asia and believes that there are plenty of cooperation opportunities for the two sides.

He said that since setting up a comprehensive partnership in 2010, the two countries have expanded their cooperation to many areas, adding that Argentina wishes to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam in a number of fields, contributing to further deepening bilateral economic and trade relations, especially in the area of food and foodstuff.

He also pointed to many potential areas for the two sides to collaborate, including culture, education, people-to-people exchange, and international matters of shared interest.

In his speech at the ceremony, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue shared his viewpoints on the current world situation, Vietnam’s external policy and the Vietnam-Argentina ties.

Highlighting the great advantages, potential as well as challenges that the world is experiencing, the Vietnamese top legislator underlined the significance of solidarity, international cooperation and joint efforts to respond to global challenges, seek peaceful solutions to disputes on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political institution of states as well as the United Nations Charter and international law.
           
He underlined the great chances from the global trends of digital transformation, green economy and innovation, while emphasising the need to speed up economic connectivity and cooperation initiatives on both regional and global scales, along with continuous efforts to promote the construction of a new global system that is more equal and more sustainable for all countries and economies.

The NA leader briefed participants on the socio-economic situation and Vietnam's external policies after 37 years of implementing the "Doi Moi" (Renewal) cause.    

From one of the poorest countries in the world that suffered serious consequences of the war, Vietnam has made great and historical achievements, becoming a developing country undertaking industrialisation, modernisation and strong and intensive international integration, he said.

He underscored Vietnam's consistent external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, diversification and multilateralization of relations, with active and proactive integration into the world.

He affirmed that amid the complicated and fierce competition among world powers, Vietnam is determined not to take sides but to choose the right, based on international law. Vietnam actively participates in and promotes its role in regional and international multilateral mechanisms, especially the ASEAN, UN, UNESCO, APEC, ASEM and FEALAC, while actively and responsibly contributing, together with partners, to building a peaceful and stable international order, ensuring the legitimate interests of all peoples on the foundation of respect for international law and the UN Charter.

The NA leader spotlighted the leading role of the Vietnamese NA in institutionalising political orientations and political policies, and deciding important issues of the country, as well as in law building and supervising the implementation of the law and policies.

The Vietnamese NA always gives special priority to developing friendship and bilateral and multilateral parliamentary diplomatic cooperation in all forms, at all scales and levels, contributing to building a firm socio-political foundation for the country's foreign relations and international integration, he said.

The Vietnamese top legislator said that amid the current complicated world situation, Vietnam and Argentina should support and supplement each other in terms of economy following the South-South cooperation mechanism, thus ensuring food security and energy security, responding to climate change, connecting the supply chains in processing, manufacturing, agriculture, industry, and fostering waterways, aviation and logistics linkage together and with other partners.

Vietnam wishes to, together with Latin American countries, to actively tap opportunities to multiply strengths and make concerted  efforts to handle traditional and non-traditional security challenges, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world, he stated.

NA Chairman Hue affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to and wishes to promote win-win cooperation with the Latin American region. Vietnam currently has diplomatic relations with all 33 countries in the region, including traditional friends with long-standing ties, similarities in tradition and culture and common interests.              

Vietnam is ready to discuss with Mercosur member countries the early establishment of a free trade agreement with a view to creating new opportunities to promote trade, investment, boost economic growth and expand cooperation between Vietnam and South American countries.

At the same time, Vietnam will work to connect and boost cooperation between ASEAN and Mercosur, especially in fields where the two sides are strong in and capable of supplementing each other.

Chairman Hue also pointed out that in the Latin American region, Cuba is still under the pressure of embargos. He called for the early lifting of the embargo against Cuba, and the resumption of dialogues between concerned parties with good will and constructive attitude so as to enhance mutual understanding, narrow differences and seek fields for win-win cooperation.
The Vietnamese NA Chairman stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to and wishes to further promote the comprehensive partnership with Argentina, noting that 2023, which marks the 50th year the two countries foster their friendship, is a milestone in bilateral ties.

He held that the common noble values and warm feelings between the two countries are invaluable asset as well as a natural glue and strong motivation for them to take their relationship to a new stage of development with a new vision for the next 50 years in three main aspects.
           
First, in the political-diplomatic field, the two countries should strengthen the ties between their leaders through high-level visits and meetings at regional and international forums, and optimizing the role of the parliament and political party channel.
           
Second, in the economic-trade aspect, the two countries should optimize the role of the inter-government committee, complete the legal framework and create the best possible conditions for market access of each other’s goods. Vietnam and Argentina should also connect their business communities and encourage investment in each other’s market, consider and push for the opening of direct flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Buenos Aires, and promote cooperation between localities as well as people-to-people exchange and tourism.  
           
The NA Chairman suggested the two countries make the best use of free trade frameworks and agreements, particularly the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and work toward an FTA between Vietnam and the Mercosur.

The third field is culture-education-tourism, Hue said, proposing intensifying cooperation on training between universities and research establishments. He asked Argentina to grant scholarships in Spanish language learning for Vietnamese students and promote collaboration in sports, tourism promotion and sharing of experience in tourism management and development.

In his remarks, Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Felix Valdés said looking back the past 50 years, the Argentina-Vietnam relations have seen many achievements across 13 important fields of cooperation.

Vietnam is an important and strategic trade partner of Argentina in the world, and bilateral trade ties have made big leaps, surging 600% to surpass the mark of 4 billion USD, making Vietnam the sixth largest trade partners of Argentina.

Eduardo Valdés stressed that the Vietnamese NA Chairman’s visit is an important milestone, allowing the two sides to substantiate their cooperation in the interests of the two peoples. He noted that the two parliaments have established parliamentary friendship groups, which is an important mechanism to intensify parliamentary cooperation.

He went on to say that the cooperation agreement between the Argentine Chamber of Deputies and the Vietnamese NA reached during Chairman Hue’s visit is a big stride forward in bilateral parliamentary cooperation, creating a dialogue mechanism for the exchange of information and experience in law making and fields of common interest.            

In the morning the same day, NA Chairman Hue and delegates of the two countries witnessed the signing of cooperative documents, including agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition and the transfer of sentenced persons, a cooperation agreement between the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Argentine National News Agency (Telam), and an MoU on promoting cooperation in trade and investment./.  VNA