Speaking highly of the sound political ties between the two nations in the past time, particularly after they set up diplomatic relations on September 22, 1995, the top legislator thanked the Federated States of Micronesia for supporting Vietnam’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 tenure.

As the two nations hold huge potential to develop cooperative ties in the fields of economy, trade, investment, culture, and tourism, they should ink cooperation deals in the fields of their strengths, she suggested.

Ngan noted that mutual support to deal with consequences of natural disasters are vivid illustration for the friendship between the two countries.

In the context of complex developments of the regional and international situation, Vietnam and the Federated States of Micronesia should coordinate and support each other at regional and multilateral forums and organisations, especially the United Nations, she stressed.

For his part, Simina appraised the importance of relations with Vietnam, stating that the ongoing visit to the Southeast Asian country affirms the Federated States of Micronesia’s commitment to bolstering bilateral relations, particularly when the two countries are celebrating the 23rd founding anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The bilateral parliamentary diplomacy has been promoted in recent years, he said, lauding Vietnam’s proactive participation in and hosting of the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2015 and the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in 2018.

He underlined that the Micronesian Government and Congress will do their utmost to accelerate cooperation with Vietnam in agriculture, aquaculture and tourism.

Currently, small businesses of the Federated States of Micronesia are interested in landing investment in Vietnam, he said, adding that both nations are enjoying fruitful cooperation in environmental and climate change issues.

The Vietnamese NA leader affirmed that Vietnam always backs the Federated States of Micronesia as well as other South Pacific island countries in fostering relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), thus opening up new cooperation prospects and interest for ASEAN as well as regional countries.

She suggested that the Federated States of Micronesia support Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

Affirming that both Vietnam and the Federated States of Micronesia are coastal countries, Ngan held that the East Sea issue is the shared interest of all countries, while highlighting Vietnam’s goodwill and constant policy of maintaining friendship with all regional countries, and dealing with disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law, the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 as well as other regional commitments.

Regarding the relationship between the two parliaments, both sides showed their delight at the growth of bilateral legislative cooperation both bilaterally and at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

On the occasion, Ngan lauded Simina’s role as the Chair of the Asia-Pacific Group at the 138th Assembly of the IPU in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 24-28. During the event, participants welcomed the report by Vietnam in the role of a member of the IPU Executive Committee.

She proposed that in the coming time, the two sides should increase the exchange of high-ranking delegations and people-to-people exchanges, while setting up mechanisms of cooperation and negotiation, heading to the signing of agreements on investment protection and double-tax avoidance as well as in technical cooperation.

Besides, the two sides should promote trading in agricultural products, consumer goods and agricultural machineries.

The Vietnamese top legislator stated that Vietnam can share its experience with the Federated States of Micronesia in growing rice and industrial crops, ensuring food security, processing industrial trees’ products, infrastructure construction and tourism development.

She said that Vietnam has dozens of thousands of fishing vessels as well as experience in aquaculture, which are a great advantage in boosting cooperation with the Federated States of Micronesia, a country owning giant territorial waters.-VNA