Prague (VNA) – A delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committee’s Commission for Information and Education, paid a working visit to the Czech Republic from April 22-24.

During the visit, the delegation had a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech parliament and Vice President of the ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Jan Skopecek, President of ANO Party Andrej Babis, and First Vice President of the Czech Communist Party Petr Simunek.

At the meetings, Nghia underlined that the trip, which coincides with the Vietnam visit by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, aims to further strengthen the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, while fostering the ties between the CPV and political parties of the Czech Republic, and promoting people-to-people exchange.

It is also to express gratitude to the Government and people of Czechoslovakia in the past and the Czech Republic at present for giving Vietnam support and solidarity in the past struggle for independence and national reunification and the current national construction and defence, as well as the Czech Government’s recognition of the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group of the country.

Briefing the Czech side on Vietnam's socio-economic situation and national development strategy, Nghia proposed that Vietnam and the Czech Republic continue to reinforce exisiting cooperation mechanisms in culture, education and training, and promote the role of the Vietnamese community in strengthening the ties between the two countries and peoples.

He said that the relationship between the CPV and Czech political parties is an important foundation for the effective development of the bilateral relations in all fields.

Nghia thanked the Czech Republic for being the first European Union member to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement, and suggested that Czech partners support orientations, viewpoints, development and external policies of Vietnam, and help spread Vietnam’s external messages to the Government, localities and people of the Czech Republic so that they get deeper understanding of the history, nation, culture, people, reform achievements and foreign policies of Vietnam, contributing to developing the Vietnam-Czech Republic relations in an extensive, substantial and effective manner.

The Czech officials said that the Czech Republic highly values Vietnam's role and position in the region and the world. They highlighted the long-standing historical relations between the two nations, and the Vietnamese community’s contributions to the prosperity of the host county.

They spoke highly of the Vietnamese Party and State’s orientations and the country’s achievements in socio-economic development, international integration, culture, education and science-technology. They affirmed that there are plenty of rooms for the two sides to further develop their partnership.

They shared Vietnam’s stance in upholding international law and settling disputes through peaceful negotiations to ensure peace and stability for development.

During their stay, the delegation also had a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy, Vietnamese press agencies, Vietnam's defence attaché and the Vietnamese community in the country./.