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| The group photo of countries' parliament leaders at the opening ceremony of the IPU-152 in Istanbul on April 15. |
HÀ NỘI — The working trip of National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn for the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, bilateral activities in Türkiye, and an official visit to the Italian Republic from April 11–17, was a great success.
This was the first official overseas trip by the NA Chairman following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly, and the consolidation of Việt Nam's State apparatus for the new term. It represents a timely and effective implementation of the foreign policy set out at the 14th Party Congress, contributing to affirming Việt Nam's position and diplomatic thinking.
The outcomes of the trip not only reaffirm Việt Nam's image as a proactive and responsible partner in promoting parliamentary cooperation and strengthening multilateralism, but also create clear new momentum to advance relations between Việt Nam, and Italy and Türkiye in the coming period.
Việt Nam's proactive, active, and responsible participation at IPU-152
The IPU-152 Assembly, themed “Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations,” was held amid ongoing complex global developments. The Vietnamese delegation, led by NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, participated proactively, actively, and responsibly, making substantive contributions to the overall success of the Assembly. Notably, the Chairman delivered an important speech at the general debate, affirming that Việt Nam will continue to work with friends and partners to contribute actively, proactively, and responsibly to addressing regional and global issues.
He emphasised that to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, the IPU and its member parliaments should further strengthen international cooperation and solidarity, uphold the rule of law, and support national initiatives for peace and development.
Outlining future directions, he proposed enhancing parliamentary diplomacy, promoting dialogue, building trust and friendship among nations, preventing and addressing root causes of conflicts, and respecting the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. He also stressed the pioneering role of parliaments in establishing legal frameworks, domesticating international commitments, especially those related to peace, security, sustainable development, climate change response, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and exercising supreme oversight over the implementation of such commitments.
In addition to the NA Chairman’s activities, the Vietnamese delegation actively participated in meetings of the IPU Governing Council and Standing Committees, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP), the Asia-Pacific Geopolitical Group (APG), and the ASEAN+3 Group. They also attended a seminar on the Hanoi Convention on combating cybercrime and contributed directly to drafting several Assembly documents.
Deputy Foreign Minister Đặng Hoàng Giang highlighted that Việt Nam's messages and proposals received strong interest, positive evaluations, and support from many member parliaments and delegates, further reinforcing Việt Nam's image as a proactive and responsible partner in promoting parliamentary cooperation and strengthening multilateralism.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong praised the reputation of Việt Nam's National Assembly within the IPU and its highest-level participation at IPU-152, considering it an important contribution amid global uncertainties. He also acknowledged Việt Nam's proactive and responsible participation with many initiatives and imprints at international inter-parliamentary forums, welcoming its active engagement in discussions to seek solutions to global challenges.
During IPU-152, the top legislator held numerous bilateral meetings with parliamentary leaders, enhancing political trust and promoting cooperation across areas such as economy, trade, investment, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and defence and security. Partners congratulated Vietnam on the success of the 14th National Party Congress and the 16th National Assembly election, as well as newly elected leaders, and expressed appreciation for Việt Nam's role in and contributions to multilateral mechanisms, including the IPU, while affirming their desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
New momentum for Việt Nam–Türkiye relations
Alongside IPU activities, Chairman Mẫn conducted bilateral engagements in Türkiye, creating new momentum for relations between the two countries.
During the trip, he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and held discussions with other senior Turkish leaders. Both sides agreed that after nearly 50 years of diplomatic relations, Việt Nam–Türkiye ties have reached a new level - more strategic, and should be further elevated in line with their potential and prospects.
Recognising significant room for cooperation, both sides emphasised making economy, trade, and investment key pillars, facilitating the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to US$4 billion, and encouraging Turkish businesses to invest in Việt Nam. They agreed to expand trade in a more balanced manner and explore the possibility of launching negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement to better leverage complementarities between the two economies and their respective gateway positions.
A policy dialogue on promoting Việt Nam–Türkiye cooperation demonstrated both countries’ determination to advance economic and trade collaboration, opening up many concrete opportunities, particularly in industry, infrastructure, logistics, and tourism.
On parliamentary cooperation, both sides agreed to enhance exchanges at all levels, maintain regular interactions between friendship parliamentary groups, share legislative and oversight experience, and build a favourable legal framework for bilateral cooperation, thereby deepning the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Việt Namand Türkiye.
Deepening the Việt Nam–Italy strategic partnership
The official visit to Italy took place as Việt Nam–Italy relations are flourishing, after more than 50 years of diplomatic ties and over a decade of Strategic Partnership. The two countries’ State, parliamentary and local leaders attached great importance to the visit.
Chairman Mẫn's meetings with President Sergio Mattarella and President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana were held in an open, sincere, and trusting atmosphere. The leaders agreed that there remains significant untapped potential for cooperation, which should expand beyond traditional areas such as economy, trade, investment, and education to Italy’s strengths, including fashion, digital economy, green economy, and energy.
Both sides also emphasised better utilisation of the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to strengthen Việt Nam–EU connectivity. The Italian leaders reaffirmed support for hastening EU members’ ratification of the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and for removing the IUU “yellow card” on Vietnamese seafood.
Regarding legislative cooperation, Chairman Mẫn proposed strengthening political trust through increased delegation exchanges, particularly between parliamentary leaders, committees, and friendship groups; enhancing the sharing of law-making and oversight experience; and promoting the role of parliaments in implementing bilateral agreements and commitments.
His meeting with the Pope and the Prime Minister of the Vatican was also significant, as both sides welcomed the important and substantive progress in Việt Nam–Holy See relations and expressed commitment to further strengthening mutual trust and understanding, aiming toward full diplomatic relations.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation was a highlight of the visit. In Milan, Italy’s leading economic and industrial hub, the Vietnamese leader attended and spoke at a policy dialogue promoting Việt Nam–Italy cooperation. He emphasised that amid rapid globalisation, green transition, and digital transformation, Việt Nam and Italy have many favourable conditions to complement each other and leverage their respective strengths, aiming toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth.
He called for translating cooperative spirit into concrete outcomes, focusing on priority areas and strengthening the role of parliaments in supervising and completing mechanisms and policies, as well as in ensuring a stable, transparent, and favourable legal environment for long-term cooperation.
The message “Việt Nam does not only want to go fast, but to go steadily, go far, and go together” was warmly welcomed by business communities and associations in Lombardy and Milan.
Raffaele Cattaneo, Undersecretary of the Lombardy Region, affirmed that Việt Nam is one of the most dynamic and promising economies in Southeast Asia and an increasingly important link in global cooperation and development chains. As a result, more Italian businesses, especially those in Lombardy, are interested in investing in Việt Nam.
It can be affirmed that Chairman Mẫn's working trip to Italy and Türkiye achieved important and comprehensive results at both bilateral and multilateral levels. It not only highlighted a proactive and responsible Vietnamese National Assembly with active and practical contributions to the IPU, but also created new momentum to deepen relations with key partners, including in Europe and the Middle East, thereby fostering a favourable environment for external relations and mobilising international support and resources for Việt Nam's development goals in the new era. — VNA/VNS