VN to show active engagement in multilateral parliamentary diplomacy at MSEAP 3

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will lead a delegation to attend the MSEAP 3 and visit Turkey from October 7 – 12 at the invitation of Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Moon Hee-sang who are co-chairs of MSEAP and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim.

As a joint initiative of Russia and the RoK launched in 2006, the annual event aims to enhance collective actions between parliaments of Eurasian countries and promote the role of parliamentary diplomacy.

Vietnam took part in its first edition in Russia in 2016 and the second meeting in the RoK in 2017. This year’s event will convene in Antalya, Turkey under the theme “Economic Cooperation, Environment and Sustainable Development in Eurasia.”

The meeting will be an important opportunity for the Vietnamese NA deputies to meet and exchange views with Eurasian lawmakers about regional and global issues of mutual concern, share information and experience in parliamentary activities and strengthen partnerships with other parliaments in the region.

The presence of Vietnam at the event is also expected to consolidate the relations between the States and NAs of Vietnam and Turkey and demonstrate its support for Russia and the RoK as the MSEAP co-chairs.

With its increasingly active engagement in global and regional parliamentary diplomacy activities, the Vietnamese NA supports cooperation with Eurasian parliaments for the maintenance of the world’s peace, security and prosperity.

Following the MSEAP 3, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will begin an official visit to Turkey. This is the first visit made by a top legislator of Vietnam and also the highest-level visit to Turkey.

The visit will mark a milestone in the two NAs’ relations, and at the same time, aims to further deepen the friendship and multifaceted partnership between Vietnam and Turkey as the two countries are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

During the visit, the two sides are expected to discuss ways to bolster the bilateral cooperation in key areas, reinforce their political trust for each other and translate the signed agreements into reality. In addition, it will provide a platform for enterprises from both sides to meet and seek partnerships and investment opportunities.

Since the two countries set up the diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978, their ties have seen decent progress with the exchange of a number of high-level visits, notably the visit of Deputy NA Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien to Turkey in February 2011 and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s visit to Vietnam in August last year.

Turkey backs the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN counties on the settlement of the East Sea disputes by peaceful means and via dialogue and respect for international law. It shows its support for Vietnam’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

Turkey is now Vietnam’s leading trade partner in the Middle East. In 2017, two-way trade exceeded US$2.1 billion, of which Vietnam’s exports were valued at US$1.9 billion. In the first half of 2018, the figure was US$970 million with US$843 million worth of exports from Vietnam.

Turkey has been a gateway for Vietnamese key products like rice, rubber, tea, clothing, footwear, electronics, handicrafts and more to enter the Middle East and European Union markets. Meanwhile, Turkey exported to Vietnam steel, building materials, cotton, chemicals and auto parts.

Turkey currently operates 15 FDI projects worth a total of US$704 million in Vietnam, making it the 26th largest foreign investor in the Southeast Asian country.

In June 2016, national flag carrier Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Istanbul to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.