Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that the Vietnamese legislature has regarded joining the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s activities as an important task in its multilateral parliamentary diplomacy in order to promote and protect Vietnam’s interests.

Vietnam's National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron.

The participation also aims to show Vietnam’s viewpoints on global common concern, thus contributing to improving the position of the legislative body in particular and Vietnam in general in the international arena, the NA Chairwoman told IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron during their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 24 afternoon (local time). The meeting took place right after NA Chairwoman Ngan and her entourage arrived in Geneva to attend the 138th IPU Assembly (IPU-138) the same day. 

Chairwoman Ngan described the IPU as a venue for the Vietnam NA to learn from operational experience of parliaments worldwide to complete and improve the quality of its operation, and called for more support of IPU President G. Cuevas Barron during the process. 

Thanking the IPU President for attending the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) in Hanoi last January, the top legislator said the President’s presence demonstrated her special sentiments and support for the NA as well as the land and people of Vietnam. 

She expressed her belief that President G. Cuevas Barron and the IPU will continue to closely coordinate and assist IPU member parliaments, including the Vietnamese NA, in conducting activities aiming to accelerate the implementation of commitments to sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

She also praised active and proactive contributions of the IPU leader to the union’s operational reform through her initiatives so as to raise the union’s role in regional issues. 

The Vietnamese top legislator said she believes that President G. Cuevas Barron will realise her commitments to turning the IPU into a more effective, transparent and responsible organisation that works to ensure common interests of its member parliaments, including the Vietnamese NA. 

The Vietnamese legislature also acknowledged the IPU’s support in implementing the 1992 Constitution, and other activities such as hosting IPU-132, she said, stressing that thanks to such assistance, the Vietnamese NA’s role in the IPU has been elevated, as reflected through the fact that Vietnam was elected to the IPU Executive Board, the most supreme agency of the IPU, for 2008-2012 and 2015-2019. 

For her part, President G. Cuevas Barron applauded Vietnam’s participation in IPU activities, noting her hope that the country will continue to raise its voice and participate in multilateral forums such as the IPU and the APPF. 

The union has drafted the IPU Strategy during 2017-2021 with many action programmes and inclusive policies, she said, urging the Vietnamese legislature to continue its support for the organisation. 

IPU President G. Cuevas Barron, who is also a Mexican Senator, highlighted the fruitful relationship between Vietnam and Mexico which are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

She pledged to promote cooperation between the IPU and member parliaments, including the Vietnamese NA.-VNA