Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin on the sidelines of the third Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments (MSEAP 3) in Antalya, Turkey, on October 8.

Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) meets Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin

Ngan lauded the initiative to establish the MSEAP by the State Duma and the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly.

She expressed her belief that MSEAP 3 will be a success and the mechanism will continue to be held in the future.

The themes of this meeting, which include economic affairs, environmental protection and sustainable development, are concerns of all countries, Ngan said.

Regarding Vietnam-Russia relations, both Ngan and Volodin agreed that the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership are developing well.

Notably, many new agreements signed during an official visit to Russia in early September 2018 by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong will create new momentum for the bilateral ties, they stated.

Ngan told Volodin that Vietnam is preparing for his official visit slated for later this year, during which, she believes, both sides will have in-depth discussions on how to deepen relations between the two nations and parliaments as well as issues of mutual concern.

Volodin reiterated proposals made by Vice Chairwoman of the State Duma Olga Epifanova during her working session with Ngan in Hanoi in late September, including an initiative to set up a Vietnam-Russia inter-parliamentary committee.

He stressed the need for the two countries to lift bilateral ties to a new height, create a mechanism to solve issues related to their citizens and work together to raise two-way trade.

The Vietnamese top legislator agreed with Russia’s proposal on the establishment of the Vietnam-Russia inter-parliamentary committee, and asked both sides to discuss the issue further during Volodin’s visit.

Volodin took the occasion to invite Ngan to pay an official visit to Russia. Ngan accepted the invitation, saying she would visit Russia in the coming time.-VNA