NA Chairwoman meets with Turkish President

Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had a meeting on October 11 (local time) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which she affirmed that Vietnam always treasures the friendship and all-round cooperation with the South Europe- Middle East, including Turkey as its leading economic partner in the region.

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on October 11. (Photo: VNA)
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on October 11. (Photo: VNA)

Congratulating the Turkish Grand National Assembly for successfully organising the third Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments (MSEAP 3), the Vietnamese top legislator spoke highly of Turkey’s national construction and development which helps the country enter the world’s top 20 economies.

She said that her visit to Turkey aims to bolster and deepen the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries in general and the two parliaments in particular.

Briefing the Turkish State leader on Vietnam’s socio-economic development and its foreign policy of active international integration, NA Chairwoman Ngan said that Vietnam stands ready to act as a bridge to enhance relations between Turkey and the ASEAN bloc.

Vietnam and Turkey have enjoyed fruitful ties in the past 40 years, with cooperation extended in various sectors, she said, urging joint effort to lift the two-way trade to US$4 billion by 2020.

About the outcomes of her talks with Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Binali Yildirim, the Vietnamese top legislator said that she and her Turkish counterpart had agreed to enhance the exchange of delegations at all levels, coordinate to supervise the implementation of the bilateral agreements, and work to create favourable conditions for cooperation, exchange and citizen protection activities.

She asked the Turkish President to support the two parliaments’ cooperation and coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums.

Chairwoman Ngan suggested to the Turkish President that the two countries should boost trade and transport collaboration, especially in navigation, shipbuilding and exchange of maritime technology and technique.

She also recommended strengthening partnership in security-defence, science-technology, culture, education and training, and people-to-people exchange.

The Turkish President expressed his delight to welcome Ngan, the first leader of the Vietnamese NA to visit Turkey, at a time when the two countries are celebrating 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He noted that this was an important milestone in the bilateral relations.

Discussing with Ngan regional and international issues of mutual interests, President Erdogan said that Turkey supports settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He informed Ngan that he had a plan to visit Vietnam this year with several enterprises to enhance trade and economic cooperation, and hoped that a free trade agreement (FTA) will be inked between the two countries on the occasion.

The President affirmed that cooperation with Vietnam offers opportunities for Turkey to further collaboration with the ASEAN member states. Turkey recently signed FTA with Malaysia and Singapore, he added.