Top legislator’s visit hoped to further boost Vietnam-Russia parliamentary ties

Moscow (VNA) – First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Ivan Ivanovich Melnikov has voiced his hope that the upcoming trip by Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will give a new impulse to parliamentary cooperation, thus helping bolster the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership.

In an interview given to Vietnam News Agency ahead of Ngan’s official visit from December 8 to 12, Melnikov, who is also Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, said his country attaches great importance to the trip, which is made amid the Russia Year in Vietnam and the Vietnam Year in Russia 2019 – 2020 and on the threshold of the 70th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties (January 30, 2020).

During the tour, Chairwoman Ngan is scheduled to meet with Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina I. Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav V. Volodin, attend the first meeting of the inter-parliamentary cooperation committee of the Russian State Duma and the Vietnamese NA, and visit Tatarstan – a federal subject with dynamic development and close relations with Vietnamese localities.

Melnikov noted parliamentary relationship is an integral part of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership. It has considerably contributed to cooperation in multiple fields, enabling parliamentarians to monitor the implementation of high-level agreements.

The Vietnamese and Russian legislatures have also been working closely with each other at international inter-parliamentary forums and organisations, he noted.

The official affirmed the State Duma’s consistent support for multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, adding that parliaments in Russia, regardless of political parties and viewpoints, always back the enhancement of the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership.

According to him, the two sides’ task is to promote practical cooperation in different spheres and seek potential cooperation forms to meet the interests of each side, which is also the goal of the inter-parliamentary cooperation committee between the Russian State Duma and the Vietnamese NA that was set up in December 2018.

This committee aims to strengthen parliamentary ties, increase sharing legislative experience, help parliamentarians control the realisation of high-level agreements, promote important cooperation projects and programmes, and boost the coordination of actions in the international arena.

Russia hopes that the committee will fulfill all assigned tasks and become a useful tool for making progress in the comprehensive strategic partnership, Melnikov said.

At the coming meeting of the committee, the Russian side will pay attention to legislative assistance for bilateral connections in potential areas such as energy, defence – security, information and communications technology, digital economy, and cooperation among regions. It will also discuss the parliaments’ support for the expansion of educational, cultural, scientific and tourism ties, as well as people-to-people diplomacy, he added./.