Tashkent (VNA)꧙ – Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with Nuriddin Ismoilov, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Lower house) of Uzbekistan, on April 8 as part of his official visit to the Central Asian country and attendance at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-150).

Ismoilov highlighted the significance of Man’s trip and his attendance at the IPU-150, saying that this helps open up prospects for bilateral cooperation across all sectors, importantly contributing to each country's national development and construction process. He affirmed that Uzbekistan attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Vietnam and spoke highly of the Vietnamese top legislator’s keynote speech at the high-level segment of the general debate of the IPU-150. As the first person to speak at the session, Man led subsequent speeches, contributing significantly to the success of the IPU-150, which was organised in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region for the first time, Ismoilov said. The Uzbek leader took this occasion to thank Vietnam for its support for Uzbekistan at multilateral forums, including the UN, especially regarding Uzbekistan’s initiative on environmental protection. For his part, Man congratulated Uzbekistan on its successful hosting of the IPU-150 as well as its impressive development achievements, noting that Vietnam's participation at the event underscored not only its respect for the Inter-Parliamentary Union but also its solidarity and friendship with Uzbekistan. He affirmed that Vietnam highly evaluates its long-standing traditional friendship with Uzbekistan and wishes to strengthen all-around cooperation with the Central Asian nation for the mutual benefit of their people. The two leaders agreed to further promote the exchange of delegations at all levels, and bolster direct connections between ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries, contributing to further fostering partnerships in economy, trade, investment, culture, tourism, agriculture, green development, digital transformation, infrastructure, and climate change.

Welcoming the launch of direct flights between Tashkent and Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa province of Vietnam, the leaders called on relevant agencies to consider the possibility to open more air routes to fully tap strengths and potential of each country. They also emphasised the need to adopt favourable visa policies to facilitate mutual travel between the two nations' people. Man stressed that the Vietnam–Uzbekistan Business Forum, held on the same day morning, played an important role in market connectivity, and demonstrated a strong commitment of the two sides to turning economic potential into concrete cooperation. He suggested the two sides promptly finalise key legal frameworks, including agreements on visa exemptions for holders of all types of passport, avoidance of double taxation, and investment promotion and protection, to further boost economic, trade, investment, and tourism ties between Vietnam and Uzbekistan. The two leaders welcomed a plan to soon open representative agencies in each country, which will help strengthen connection and deepen the bilateral relations. They also expressed their desires to strengthen parliamentary ties between the two nations. On this occasion, the Vietnamese top legislator called on Uzbekistan to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living, studying, and working in the Central Asian nation, thus serving as a vital bridge in promoting the bilateral friendship./.