The official made the remark at his talks with Deputy Speaker of the RoK National Assembly Park Ju-seon in Seoul on June 29, at the outset of his three-day visit to the country to boost bilateral legislative relations.

Expressing his pleasure with the growth of Vietnam – RoK ties in the past 25 years, Luu suggested both sides increase high-ranking delegation exchanges, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and boost trade.

He requested the RoK to encourage local enterprise to invest in Vietnam in terms of infrastructure, renewable energy and support industry. 

He thanked the RoK for always considering Vietnam a prioritised partner and supporting Vietnamese expatriates in the country, asking the RoK parliament to continue backing official development assistance for Vietnam. 

He called on the Vietnamese and RoK law-making bodies to strengthen their collaboration at inter-parliament forums in the region and in the world of which both agencies are members.

Vietnam welcomes the RoK’s support for the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN concerning the East Sea issue and expects the RoK to show stronger attitude toward actions that increase tension in the waters, Luu noted.

He stated that Vietnam always supports every dialogue effort to maintain peace, stability, and denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula.

He took the occasion to invite the RoK parliament’s leaders to attend the 26th Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), which will be held in Vietnam in January 2018.

For his part, Park Ju-seon stressed a priority to intensify engagements between the two national assemblies in the context of bilateral partnership growing in all fields.

At a meeting on the same day with RoK Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon in Seoul, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu expressed his delight at the growing bilateral ties over the past 25 years.

He affirmed Vietnam’s external policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, stressing that Vietnam pays great attention to boosting the strategic cooperative partnership with the RoK and is keen on expanding bilateral collaboration in security-defence, education and training as well as in international and regional issues.

Along with bolstering economic and trade ties in a balanced, stable and sustainable manner, both sides should also strengthen culture, education, tourism coordination and people-to-people contacts, he suggested.

The Vice NA Chairman stated that Vietnam supports dialogue efforts to maintain  peace, stability and denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula.

He also proposed that the RoK assist Vietnam in running for the position of UNESCO Director-General for the 2017-2021 tenure, while asking for assistance for Vietnamese women married to RoK men.

For his part, PM Lee said that the RoK is interested in exporting high-speed railway construction technology to other countries, including Vietnam.

He also lauded Vietnam’s efforts in backing foreign investors, including those from the RoK, to invest in the country.

The RoK PM thanked Vietnam for support the peace and denuclearisation process in the Korean Peninsula, while expressing his hope that RoK President Moon Jae-in will visit Vietnam and attend the APEC Summit in October.

Earlier, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu and the Vietnamese NA delegation visited the Samsung Group’s headquarters in Suwon, the capital city of Gyeonggy province.

As scheduled, he will pay a courtesy call to Speaker of the RoK National Assembly Chung Sye-kyun and visit the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK on June 30 before concluding his visit on July 1.

VNA