Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) supports and creates favourablelegal conditions for the promotion of cooperation between Vietnam andBangladesh, said NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Thetop legislator made the statement during her talks with Speaker of theParliament of Bangladesh Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in Hanoi on July 20, who isin Vietnam for an official visit from July 20-24.

Speakinghighly of Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury’s visit, which is also the first visit by aBangladeshi Parliament Speaker since the two countries established diplomaticties in 1973, NA Chairwoman Ngan said she believes that the trip willcontribute to strengthening the traditional friendship and multi-facetedcooperation between the two countries’ people and opening up a new page for thebilateral legislative ties.

Hostand guest noted with satisfaction the continuous development of the bilateralrelationship over the past 44 years with enhanced political ties and mutualtrust, which have been reflected through the exchange of high-level visits andmeetings, especially the visits to Vietnam by Bangladeshi Prime Minister SheikhHasina in 2012 and President Abdul Hamid in 2015.

Vietnamalways attaches importance to and wishes to further develop the traditionalfriendship and fruitful cooperation with Bangladesh, NA Chairwoman Ngan said,stressing that the two countries have stood side by side and supported eachother in national construction and defence as well as economic development.

Shesuggested the two sides continue their coordination and mutual support atregional and international forums, and called for Bangladesh to back Vietnam’scandidacy for a UN Security Council seat during 2020-2021 and the UNESCOGeneral Director for the 2017-2022 tenure.

TheVietnamese chief legislator was delighted at the rapid pace of economic andtrade ties between the two countries with bilateral trade revenue increasing by2.5 times during the 2010-2014 period. The number expanded by 3.1 percent in2016 as compared with 2015 to hit 608 million USD.

ManyVietnamese products like rice, garments-textiles, footwear and electronicproducts have become popular in Bangladesh. The two countries signed anagreement on investment encouragement and protection on May 18, 2005.

Vietnamencourages and welcomes joint efforts to expand the cooperation in other areaslike national defence, fishery, education-training, culture and tourism, NAChairwoman Ngan said.

Sheemphasised the two countries’ signing of an extended memorandum ofunderstanding on rice trading for 2017-2022 last May, under which Bangladeshwill import one million tonne of rice each year from Vietnam.

Forher part, the Bangladeshi Speaker held that both Vietnam and Bangladesh havebeen affected by adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise, and haveexperience in gender equality and poverty reduction.

Thetwo countries should step up their cooperation and experience exchange, andsupport each other in these realms.

TheSpeaker briefed her host on Bangladesh’s socio-economic achievements since itgained independence in 1971, citing woman empowerment, decreased maternal andchild fatality rates, accomplishments of many millennium development goals and thedevelopment of clean, green and renewable energies, and aquatic production,which, she said, Vietnam and Bangladesh should cooperate in future.

Hostand guest agreed that to raise the bilateral trade to 1 billion USD asconsented by Vietnamese and Bangladeshi leaders, the two countries should forgecollaboration in trade and investment and create favourable conditions fortheir businesses to take part in fairs, exhibitions and seminars organised in therespective countries.

ShirinSharmin Chaudhury used the occasion to call on Vietnam to pay more heed toinvesting in Bangladesh which has a population of about 160 million and otherfavourable conditions.

Oncooperation between the two parliaments, NA ChairwomanNguyen Thi Kim Ngan showed her delight at fruitful outcomes of the two sides inboth bilateral and multilateral aspects.

Shethanked her Bangladeshi counterpart for sending a delegation to the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union that Vietnam hosted in 2015, as wellas Bangladesh’s warm welcome for the Vietnamese delegation during the 136th Assembly of the IPU earlier this year.

Thetwo NA leaders agreed to continue high-level delegation exchanges and meetingsbetween the two NAs to share experience in law-building and supervise theimplementation of agreements between the two countries, thus contributing tofostering friendship and all-round cooperation.

Thetwo sides will consider the formation of two friendship parliamentarian groupsto act as a bridge connecting legislators of both sides and encouraging thedevelopment of partnership in economy and people-to-people contacts.

Theywill continue supporting each other at the international and regionalinter-parliamentarian unions in issues of shared concern, while assigning theCommittees for External Affairs and relevant agencies to work together towardsthe signing of a specific cooperation mechanism aiming to make collaborationbetween the two parliaments more effective and practical.

Atthe talks, the two NA leaders also shared views on regional and internationalissues of common concern. Ngan congratulated Bangladesh on winning the positionof the Chair of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibitionof Chemical Weapons for the 2017-2018 tenure.

Thetwo leaders also concurred to continue working closely at multilateral forumsof which the two countries are members.

TheBangladeshi top legislator invited her Vietnamese counterpart to visitBangladesh soon and received Ngan’s acceptance.

Earlierthe same day, the Bangladeshi Parliament Speaker paid tribute to late PresidentHo Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid flowers at the Monument for HeroicMartyrs in Hanoi.

Inthe evening the same day, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted a banquetfor the Bangladeshi top legislator and the Bangladesh parliamentdelegation.-VNA