On the morning of August 21, at the National Assembly House, after the official welcoming ceremony, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with President of the Belgian Senate Stéphanie D'Hose.

The President of the Belgian Senate is the highest-ranking Belgian politician to visit Vietnam in 2023, on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of Strategic Partnership in the agricultural sector.

The President of the Belgian Senate shared that this was her first visit to Vietnam and that she had a lot of love for Vietnamese culture and cuisine; the visit was a special event in her political career.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue stated that Vietnam wishes to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Belgium in all fields, and that Vietnam is ready to continue to be a bridge to promote Belgium - ASEAN and EU - ASEAN relations. The National Assembly Chairman shared his impressions during his visit to Belgium in September 2021 and suggested that the two sides increase delegation exchanges; effectively implement bilateral mechanisms...

Belgium is an important trade partner and the 6th largest export market of Vietnam in Europe. Belgium has 89 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 1.1 billion USD.

The National Assembly Chairman proposed that the Belgian Government and Parliament continue to facilitate Vietnamese goods to access the Belgian and EU markets, especially rice and coffee; strengthen cooperation in digital transformation, equitable energy transition, financial and banking services, logistics, etc.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and President of the Belgian Senate.

The National Assembly Chairman also asked the Belgian Parliament to soon complete the ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Vietnam pledged to continue supporting Belgian investors to promote the implementation of existing projects on schedule and effectively. The President of the Belgian Senate said that the ratification processes and procedures are quite complicated, but Belgium is actively promoting it, believing that the Agreement will soon be ratified before the end of this Parliament's term.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also asked Belgium to support the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the IUU "yellow card" on Vietnam's seafood exports.

Regarding agricultural cooperation, Vietnam needs to promote cooperation with countries with advanced agriculture such as Belgium, especially in improving the capacity to ensure hygiene, quarantine of animals and plants, in accordance with EU technical standards, and the capacity to preserve and maintain the quality of exported goods.

Vietnam welcomes Belgian businesses to invest and support localities, businesses and farmers to participate more deeply in the supply chain.

The President of the Belgian Senate said that the Belgian House of Representatives is considering approving a resolution on supporting Agent Orange victims in Vietnam, calling on the Belgian Government to provide more resources to support the Vietnamese Government. Belgium has good technology for dioxin detoxification and will continue to cooperate, ready to share with Vietnam both experience and technology.

Regarding the IUU “yellow card”, the President of the Belgian Senate highly appreciated the efforts of Vietnam and the EU in resolving this issue and sent a message to member countries to find a solution soon.

Belgium is always ready to cooperate with Vietnam in agriculture, the Senate President really hopes that the two sides will cooperate to establish an effective food supply chain.

It is expected that next October, Belgian authorities will also join the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to organize a workshop on agricultural cooperation within the framework of the strategic cooperation program.

The National Assembly Chairman also emphasized that there are currently two global transformations that no country can stand outside. These are digital transformation with issues of digital trust, digital sovereignty, safety, and cyber security, and equitable energy transition with the goal of ensuring the harmony of benefits and costs in the transition process. These are all issues in which Belgium, as well as European countries, have a lot of experience and good institutions. The Vietnamese National Assembly wishes to learn and exchange experiences in perfecting institutions and enhancing cooperation.

Agreeing with Vietnam's proposals, the President of the Belgian Senate also said that the two countries need to strengthen cooperation in the fields of climate change adaptation and innovation, and Belgium is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in these fields.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the two sides will increase the exchange of high-level delegations and committees, friendship parliamentary groups of the two countries, groups of female parliamentarians, young parliamentarians, etc.; promote consultation mechanisms and mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums (IPU, ASEP, APF), etc.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the President of the Belgian Senate signed a letter of intent for cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Belgian Parliament.

Next September, the Vietnamese National Assembly will host the 9th Global Young Parliamentarians' Conference. The National Assembly Chairman respectfully invited the Belgian Parliament to send a delegation to attend. The Belgian Senate President happily accepted the invitation and confirmed that Belgium will send a delegation to attend.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed that the cooperation results achieved between the two sides are very proud, the potential is still huge, the future lies ahead. With Belgium's important position in the region, Vietnam wishes to strengthen comprehensive relations with Belgium.

During the visit, President of the Belgian Senate Stéphanie D'Hose will pay a courtesy call to President Vo Van Thuong, meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, work with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, and visit several localities in Vietnam.

Photo: National Assembly

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