Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly (NA)Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held talks with Speaker of the NA of theRepublic of Korea (RoK) Park Byeong-seug in Hanoi on November 2, expressing thewillingness to work with the RoK side to foster the countries’ strategiccooperative partnership.

Welcoming Park on his official visit to Vietnamfrom October 31 to November 4, the host said the trip is a clear demonstrationof the two countries’ success in the COVID-19 fight, as well as their leaders’high political trust.

The Vietnamese parliament is ready to join handswith him and the RoK counterpart to further enhance the friendship andcooperation between the two NAs, thereby contributing to the countries’strategic cooperative partnership, she said.

She appreciated the RoK Government’spresentation of the 300,000 USD aid to the Central Steering Committee forNatural Disaster Prevention and Control to help Vietnam address heavy consequencescaused by recent storms and floods in the central region.

Speaker Park, the first foreign parliamentaryleader to visit Vietnam since COVID-19 broke out earlier this year, conveyedPresident Moon Jae-in’s sympathies on flood-triggered loss of life and propertyto his host.

He held that Vietnam and the RoK have obtainednumerous achievements in bilateral relations since their diplomatic ties wereset up in 1992, noting parliamentary cooperation has been developing stronglywith frequent mutual visits by NA leaders.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there remain manyaspects of cooperation for strengthening so as to foster economic links andpeople-to-people exchange, including the facilitation of the entry of eachother’s experts and entrepreneurs, according to him.

As both countries have managed to containCOVID-19, the RoK wishes to boost special entry procedures for each other’scitizens in tandem with maintaining the coronavirus prevention, he said.

Chairwoman Ngan noted the Vietnam-RoK strategiccooperative partnership has been thriving and becoming increasinglysubstantive, adding that the two countries have become partners of leadingimportance to each other in various spheres.

Affirming that Vietnam attaches great importanceto the development of the friendship and cooperation with the RoK, she said itis ready to work with the Northeast Asian nation to expand bilateral relationsand develop cooperation between the two countries, as well as between the twoNAs, in all fields.

She highlighted that despites complexdevelopments of COVID-19, their economic partnership has been maintained withpositive figures in terms of investment and trade.

The RoK remains the largest among the 136countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with nearly 9,000 validprojects worth 70.2 billion USD. It currently ranks second in ODA provisionfor, trade with, and reception of workers from Vietnam. It is also one of thekey sources of foreign tourists to the Southeast Asian country.

The host legislator pointed out the necessity tosoon organise bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the economic dialogueat the Deputy Prime Minister level and the inter-governmental committee foreconomic, scientific and technical cooperation, in an appropriate form and to assisttheir businesses to maintain economic activities.

She suggested both sides increase medicalcooperation, especially in public health care, and asked the RoK to facilitatethe entry of Vietnam’s agricultural products like dragon fruit, pork, chicken, andmango into its market.

In response to Chairwoman Ngan’s recommendationson stronger labour cooperation and people-to-people exchange, Park said hiscountry highly values Vietnamese workers’ contributions to local economicdevelopment, and it will make suitable moves to receive new labourers fromVietnam.

The NA of the RoK will coordinate with thecountry’s Government to provide appropriate support for Vietnamese womenmarried to RoK citizens, he noted, considering Vietnamese-RoK families as aprecious asset in connecting their nations in the future.

At the meeting, Ngan said the Vietnamese NAsupports the two governments’ cooperation in security-defence and promotion ofthe signing of mutual legal assistance agreements on civil and commercialmatters to protect legitimate interests of citizens living in each other’sterritories.

She welcomed the opening of the RoK’s ConsulateGeneral in Da Nang city, which she said will help reinforce ties between centrallocalities of Vietnam and the RoK.

Regarding cooperation at international andregional forums, the Chairwoman applauded the RoK’s New Southern Policy whichlays an emphasis on bolstering relations with ASEAN countries, with Vietnambeing the focus.

Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge forstrengthening multifaceted cooperation between the RoK and ASEAN countries, sheaffirmed.

As for the East Sea issue, both host and guestshared the view on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security,safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters, along withpeacefully resolving disputes in line with international law, including the1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Reviewing the NAs’ relations, they said the twoparliaments have cooperated well to contribute to the Vietnam-RoK strategiccooperative partnership.

Via parliamentary diplomacy, the NAs have helpedenhance political trust and people-to-people exchange, expand and improve theeffectiveness of cooperation in different fields, and share views on regionaland international issues of common concern. They have also supported the twogovernments’ cooperation programmes and plans as well as the regionalcooperation and connectivity frameworks that both countries promote, accordingto the leaders.

At the talks, the two sides agreed to maintainall-level meetings in flexible forms amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to create afavourable environment for concurrently fighting against the disease, boostingsocio-economic development, and gradually bringing bilateral collaboration tonormal.

They will further listen to opinions fromVietnamese and RoK citizens so as to monitor the implementation of and buildpolicies and laws, thus creating a stable and optimal legal environment forcitizens living in each other’s territories. Besides, they will also continuebringing into play the role of their parliamentary friendship groups.

Speaker Park said the countries will mark the30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2022, when Vietnam and the RoKshould elevate their cooperation as Vietnam is not only the key partner in hiscountry’s New Southern Policy but also plays a crucial role in ASEAN.

He also thanked Vietnam for assisting RoKbusinesses to operate in the country.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman Ngan affirmed Vietnam’sconsistent stance on supporting the peace and denuclearisation process of theKorean Peninsula./.