Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue is paying an official visit to Thailand from December 7 to 10 at the invitation of Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.

Talks between host and guest were held on December 7, right after a welcome ceremony for Chairman Hue and his delegation.

During the talks, the NA Chairman assured his host that Vietnam attaches great importance to and hopes to further enhance its strategic partnership with Thailand.

Speaker Wan Noor, for his part, hailed the significance of this first visit to Thailand by Chairman Hue, which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership this year. He affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of Thailand in the region.

The two parliamentary leaders expressed their delight at the robust development of the Vietnam-Thailand bilateral strategic partnership across all fields, from politics and national defense and security to economy, trade, investment, tourism, transportation, education and training, and culture.

Thailand remains Vietnam’s largest trade partner in ASEAN, with record two-way trade of nearly $22 billion posted last year, and is its second-largest investor in the bloc, with capital of around $14 billion.

The two leaders agreed on major orientations to further promote the role of the two legislative bodies in enhancing trust and facilitating and promoting cooperation across various fields. They agreed to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels through the Party, State, government, NA, and people-to-people exchange channels, effectively roll out cooperative mechanisms, and actively implement the action plan to carry out the Vietnam-Thailand enhanced strategic partnership in the 2022-2027 period.

They pledged to work to raise two-way trade to $25 billion in a more balanced manner by reducing trade barriers and creating a favorable environment for businesses from both countries to expand their operations.

Speaker Wan Noor agreed with Chairman Hue about the need for close cooperation to establish a favorable legal corridor to successfully implement the “Three Connectivity Partnership” strategy. This strategy involves forming new supply chains to produce high-value-added products, particularly in agriculture, contributing to food security in the region, and connecting businesses and localities of the two countries, enhancing transportation links, and effectively cooperating in digital transformation in a safe and efficient manner and in the building of a green economy.

He also proposed strengthening coordination in global issues such as climate change, environmental protection, healthcare, and pandemic prevention.

The two leaders committed to fostering cooperation in other important areas, such as national defense and security, maritime affairs, education and training, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. They also looked to expand programs teaching the Thai and Vietnamese languages in each country, and to develop a “Two Countries, One Destination” tourism project.

Chairman Hue appreciated Thailand’s support for the building of a Vietnam Street and the establishment of a Vietnam Studies Center in Udon Thani province. He hopes that Thailand will continue creating favorable conditions for the local Vietnamese community, activities of Vietnamese associations, and the preservation of relic sites associated with President Ho Chi Minh in the country.

In regard to cooperation between the two legislatures, Chairman Hue and Speaker Wan Noor pledged to increase the exchange of delegations and exchange activities through channels such as friendship parliamentary groups and female and young parliamentarians. They will hold activities to share law-building experience, consult and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums, and step up the monitoring of the implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements signed by the two countries.

On global and regional issues of shared concern, they reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to increase consultations and work closely together at global and regional forums. They highlighted ASEAN’s solidarity and central role in regional issues, coordination in the sustainable management and use of the Mekong River’s water resources, and the importance of maintaining ASEAN unity and a common stance on the East Sea issue.