National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) welcomes Speaker of Myanmar’s Parliament and House of Nationalities Mahn Win Khaing Than in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)At the talks, organized followinga welcome ceremony for the Myanmar top legislator in Hanoi the same day, NAChairwoman Ngan affirmed the significance of the traditional friendship betweenthe two countries, which was founded by President Ho Chi Minh and General AungSan, as well as the need to further promote the 40-year ties.
On security-defence cooperation, shesuggested Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than and Myanmar share viewpoints and commoninterest in regional peace and security and underscored that the Vietnamese NAsupports the strengthening of the cooperation through the exchange ofinformation, experience as well as the promotion of existing cooperationmechanisms.
Regarding economic relations, sheexpressed her hope that the Myanmar parliament will join in supervising trade-investmentties and providing optimal conditions for business activities to grow strongly.
The two sides should effectivelyimplement the outcomes of the ninth meeting of the joint sub-committee on tradecooperation in February 2017, while continuing negotiating and speeding up the signingof cooperation deals in agro-forestry-fisheries, culture, transportation,finance, justice, and education, stated Ngan.
The NA leader spoke highly ofsound partnership between the two countries at regional and international forums,especially at the ASEAN, UN and Non-Aligned Movement.
Vietnam proposed that the twosides continue forging closer coordination within the framework of the ASEAN aswell as other regional and international forums, including Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit andthe Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Strategy Summit, East-West EconomicCorridor, Greater Mekong Subregion, and the UN.
The two sides should also work together in effectively andsustainably using Mekong River water resource, she said, adding that Vietnamhopes that Myanmar will become a member of the Mekong River Commission.
Expressing delight at the growing ties between the twoparliaments, Ngan noted that the two sides are showing strong performance in realizingtheir agreement signed in September 2013. She highlighted that the Myanmarvisit of the Vietnamese NA delegation in 2016 to attend the 37th Assembly of the AIPA and the current visit of the Myanmar NA leader showed theclose connection between parliamentarians of both sides.
For his part, Mahn Win Khaing Than showed his pleasureat the sound relationship between the two countries. Noting that the bilaterallegislative ties started far before the two countries set up their diplomaticties in 1975, he cited Doctor Pham Ngoc Thach’s visit to Myanmar in January 1948to attend the country’s Independence Day, and President Ho Chi Minh’s Myanmarvisit in 1958.
Since then, Vietnam and Myanmarhave supported each other in hard times, while regularly exchanging delegationsand setting up bilateral cooperation mechanisms, he said, adding that the twosides are preparing for the seventh political consultation between the twoForeign Ministries in 2017.
Along with sound political ties,the two sides have enjoyed fruitful people-to-people connection, as last year,more than 30,000 Vietnamese visited Myanmar, he said.
He cited the success of the Vietnamese-investedfirms, including the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), andViettel, the fourth largest telecom service provider in Myanmar. He called for moreVietnamese investors to Myanmar.
The Myanmar top legislator saidthat the Myanmar parliament hopes to forge stronger cooperation andconnectivity with other parliaments, including Vietnam, as does the country’sfriendship parliamentarian group.
On the East Sea issue, heconfirmed Myanmar’s stance that all parties should fully respect diplomatic andlegal processes, settle disputes through peaceful measures based on the coreprinciples of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of theSea 1982.
Myanmar supports the full andeffective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in theEast Sea (DOC), he said, highlighting the need for cooperation for the earlysigning of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea. Myanmar will work closely withregional countries to voice a common position in the field, he stated.
At the talks, the two sidesagreed on the continued implementation of the outcomes of Myanmar’s President HtinKyaw’s visit to Vietnam in 2016 and the visit of General Min Aung Hliang,Commander-In-Chief of Myanmar Armed Forces in March, 2017.
The two sides should promptly setup a “defence policy dialogue” at the defence deputy ministerial level, and a “jointworking group” between the departments for external relations of the twoDefence Ministries, they stressed.
They agreed to create legal conditions to support the respective businesspeoplein investing and doing business.
The Vietnamese side suggested the early signing of a cooperation agreement oncustoms and finance, as well as the supplement to the agreement on investmentpromotion and protection and the memorandum of understanding on investmentpromotion in the new circumstance, focusing on potential fields as banking,aviation, telecommunication, oil and gas and agriculture.
Both sides agreed on the need tocontinue maintaining the exchange of senior leaders of the two parliaments and thetwo friendship parliamentarian groups for sharing experience in legislative,supervision activities as well as viewpoints on international and regionalissues of shared concern.
The two leaders urged the twofriendship parliamentarian groups to promote their role in popularizing thetraditional ties between the two countries.
They concurred that the twoparliaments will consult and support each other’s viewpoints at global andregional parliamentarian unions for the common interest of the two countriesand building ASEAN solidarity. Both sides should also be coordinating in supervisingthe implementation of agreements and cooperation programmes between the twoparliaments.
The two parliaments will alsowork harder to strengthen people-to-people connection and boost bilateral traditionalrelations, they said. The Myanmar top legislator promised to urge relevantagencies to form a Myanmar-Vietnam Friendship Association.
Earlier, Mahn Win Khaing Than andthe Myanmar delegation paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at hismausoleum and visited the President Ho Chi Minh relic sides at the PresidentialPalace in Hanoi.
In the evening the same day, NAChairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted a banquet for the Myanmar guests at theNA Building. -VNA
VNA
