Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: Aiming to double Vietnam-Hungary trade turnover soon
WVR - On the afternoon of October 20, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
Welcoming Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo and the Hungarian parliamentary delegation on their official visit to Vietnam, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the significance of the Speaker's visit in strengthening legislative relations between the two nations and enhancing the Vietnam-Hungary Comprehensive Partnership.
The Prime Minister affirmed that in implementing an independent, self-reliant, diversified, and multilateral foreign policy, Vietnam always values and seeks to strengthen ties with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, with Hungary being a top priority partner.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
Recalling fond memories from his official visit to Hungary in January 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed satisfaction with the positive developments in bilateral relations recently. He noted that the Speaker's visit marks an important milestone in consolidating and deepening relations between the two countries. The Prime Minister informed the Hungarian Speaker about Vietnam's recent socio-economic development, sharing strategic directions, goals, solutions, and lessons learned in economic development, growth model innovation, institutional reform, legal reform, organizational streamlining, science and technology development, and building an independent, self-reliant economy.
Expressing joy and emotion upon returning to Vietnam after 10 years, Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo thanked the Vietnamese leadership and people for their warm and respectful reception.
The Hungarian Speaker conveyed greetings and an invitation from President Sulyok Tamas to General Secretary To Lam to visit Hungary soon. He expressed great admiration for Vietnam's remarkable achievements over nearly 40 years of Renewal and highly appreciated Vietnam's growing role and position in the region and on the international stage, affirming that Vietnam remains Hungary's most important partner in Southeast Asia.
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| Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
Both sides recognized economic, trade, and investment cooperation as key pillars in bilateral relations and agreed to enhance collaboration in these areas to match the trusted political relationship. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh appreciated and thanked Hungary for being one of the first EU countries to ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and requested the Hungarian National Assembly to continue supporting the remaining EU member states in ratifying the Agreement soon. Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo affirmed Hungary's readiness to recommend and encourage the remaining EU countries to ratify the Agreement, for the benefit of EU countries, and confirmed that Vietnam is the largest and most important trade partner of the EU in Southeast Asia.
In a friendly and trusting atmosphere, both sides discussed major orientations to further develop bilateral relations substantively. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed several measures to enhance cooperation, including: (i) Strengthening political trust through continued delegation exchanges and high-level contacts across all channels, including Party, State, Government, National Assembly, and people-to-people exchanges; (ii) Boosting trade and investment cooperation, aiming to double bilateral trade turnover to approximately 2 billion USD in the near future, considering this a crucial pillar in bilateral relations; (iii) Enhancing development cooperation, effectively implementing projects using Hungary's preferential credit for Vietnam; (iv) Strengthening education and training cooperation, especially in areas where Hungary excels and Vietnam has demand, such as nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, high technology, medicine, and innovation; (v) Enhancing environmental cooperation, particularly in water security, a field of Hungary's strength; (vi) Boosting labor cooperation, a field with significant complementary potential; (vii) Promoting cultural, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, focusing on organizing activities to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.
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| Both sides recognize economic, trade, and investment cooperation as key pillars in bilateral relations. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
The Hungarian National Assembly Speaker fully agreed with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's proposals. Regarding parliamentary cooperation, Speaker Kover Laszlo noted that all political parties in the Hungarian National Assembly, despite differing political orientations, unanimously support strengthening and deepening relations with Vietnam. He affirmed that the Hungarian National Assembly is always ready to coordinate in implementing high-level agreements and supporting the two governments in enhancing relations across all fields, especially in strengthening economic, trade, and investment relations. The Hungarian National Assembly will continue to work closely with the Vietnamese National Assembly in building and perfecting the legal framework for bilateral cooperation, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Hungary Comprehensive Partnership.
Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, both sides agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, supporting the resolution of disputes by peaceful means, based on respect for international law, to maintain stability and security in each region. Regarding the East Sea issue, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Hungarian National Assembly to support Vietnam and ASEAN's stance on resolving disputes through peaceful means, in compliance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the Hungarian National Assembly Speaker to convey his regards to Hungarian Prime Minister Orban Viktor.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Kover Laszlo visit a photo exhibition on bilateral cooperation. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
