Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam attaches importanceto its strategic partnership with Japan and considers Japan as a leading andlong-term partner, said President Tran Dai Quang.

During a reception in Hanoi on May 5 for Speaker of the JapaneseHouse of Representatives Oshima Tadamori, President Quang also spoke highly ofthe development of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries inrecent years as well as the exchanges between their young parliamentarians.

Having expressed his delight at the outcomes ofthe earlier talks between Tadamori and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen ThiKim Ngan, the President believed that the ongoing visit will significantlycontribute to fostering cooperative ties between the two legislatures, andbetween Vietnam and Japan as well.

He praised the strong development of theVietnam-Japan relationship in all fields, particularly in politics,security-defence, economy, cooperation among localities and people-to-peopleexchange, saying that the official visit to Vietnam by PM Shinzo Abe and thefirst State visit by the Japanese Emperor and Empress in March 2017 created anew momentum for bilateral relations in the future.

President Quang suggested the two nations continue their close coordination at multilateral forums, while workingtogether closely to ensure navigation security on the basis of respect forinternational law and settlement of disputes through peaceful measures.

Having thanked Japan for its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnamover the past 20 years, the President called on Tadamoriand the House of Representatives to continue supporting the Japanese Government’sprovision of more ODA for Vietnam.

Vietnam also welcomes Japanese businesses to expandinvestments in the country, especially in the fields of infrastructure, hightechnology, supporting industry and climate change adaptation, he added.

For his part, Tadamori held that 2017 is animportant year for the development of bilateral ties with various high-levelvisits, including the Vietnam visits by PM Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Emperor andEmpress, and the upcoming visits to Japan by Deputy PM and Foreign MinisterPham Binh Minh and PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

He said that many Japanese enterprises and investorswant to seek investment and business opportunities in Vietnam, adding thatVietnam’s determination to reform administrative procedures and improve itsinvestment environment is an important factor to attract more Japanese firms.

Tadamori asserted that Vietnam and Japan shouldfurther promote their coordination in regional mechanisms such as the Trans-PacificPartnership (TPP) agreement and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum,and affirmed Japan’s support to Vietnam in hosting the APEC Year 2017.

The same day, President of the Vietnam-JapanFriendship Parliamentarian Group Pham Minh Chinh hosted a banquet in honour ofthe Japanese delegation.

The Japanese guests also visited the Nguyen Dinh Chieu high schoolfor blind children, the Birla Children Village and the Vietnam-Japan Universityin Hanoi.-VNA