NA Chairman arrives in Buenos Aires, beginning official visit to Argentina

The delegation was welcomed at the airport by Cecilia Todesca Bocco, Secretary for International Economic Relations at the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship; President of the Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group Maria Rose Martinez; Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Duong Quoc Thanh; and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina.

Argentina was one of the three Latin American countries, after Cuba and Chile, to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam on October 25, 1973. Over the past 50 years, the friendship and cooperation between the two nations have been strengthened and developed fruitfully.

Vietnam has considered Argentina one of its leading important partners in Latin America. Together with sound political-diplomatic relations, their economic, trade and investment ties have continued to develop, becoming a foundation for the long-term relationship between the two countries.

Vietnam is the 6th biggest trading partner and the 5th largest export market of Argentina in the world and a key partner of Argentina in the South-South cooperation in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Argentina is Vietnam's 3rd biggest trading partner in Latin America. The two nations have signed many cooperation agreements and deals to create a basis for boosting the Vietnam-Argentina comprehensive cooperation.

Two-way trade has been increasing continuously, from 316 million USD in 2007 to over 4.8 billion USD in 2022, a 15-fold rise. The two countries have expected to raise the bilateral trade value to 10 billion USD by 2025.

Relations between the Vietnamese and Argentine legislatures have been developing fruitfully through the exchange of delegations and meetings within the frameworks of multilateral parliamentary forums. The Vietnamese NA has sent delegations for working visits to Argentina, including trips by high-ranking leaders and the NA's committees.

Within the multilateral framework, parliamentarians of the two nations have maintained meetings, coordination and mutual consultation, especially at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

During the ongoing visit, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is scheduled to hold talks and meet with senior leaders of Argentina; sign a cooperation agreement between the two parliaments; attend a business forum; visit the Vietnamese Embassy and meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Argentina.

The top legislator will also witness the signing of cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries.

As the two nations have fully opened their doors and stepped up economic recovery and development, NA Chairman Hue's visit, which takes place at a time when Vietnam and Argentina are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations, aims to strengthen the traditional friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Argentina as well as Latin American nations in general, promote the possibility of launching negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and start a journey to follow the footsteps of Uncle Ho as Buenos Aires was his stopover in 1912 after he left Nha Rong (Dragon) Wharf in 1911.

The visit is hoped to contribute to promoting and consolidating the traditional friendship and solidarity, and mutual support between Vietnam and Argentina; and strengthening cooperative ties between the two parliaments, thus enhancing the Vietnam-Argentina comprehensive partnership in a more practical and effective way.

(Source: VNA)