NA Chairwoman receives Irish President
VGP - The Vietnamese Government and people appreciate Irish official development assistance, which has contributed significantly to socio-economic development in the Southeast Asian country.
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Photo: VNA |
Irish-funded projects are being implemented effectively in Viet Nam, she said, hoping that the ODA will be maintained, particularly in poverty alleviation, climate change adaptation and sustainable development.
Ngan hailed Ireland’s upcoming announcement of a national strategy on development cooperation with Viet Nam for 2017-2020.
She requested the Irish President and parliament to support the acceleration of the EU’s official signing and ratification of its free trade agreement with Viet Nam.
For his part, Higgins said he is honored to be the first Irish head of state to visit Viet Nam, saying he is confident that the visit will give a boost to bilateral friendship and solidarity.
Noting his impression at Viet Nam’s socio-economic achievements, Higgins lauded the role of the Viet Nam National Assembly in boosting law enforcement, uniting people and meeting their expectations.
He spoke highly of Viet Nam’s accomplishments in increasing the participation of women in law-making agencies, which he considered a similarity between the two countries.
Underscoring work toward gender equality, he said the Irish international cooperation agency lays great stress on projects on improving capacity for females and empowering them.
Informing his host about the outcomes of his talks with State President Tran Dai Quang, Higgins said both sides agreed that education-training is a focus of bilateral cooperation. He and his Viet Nam counterpart also concurred with a number of measures to help Vietnamese students easily obtain Irish visas.
According to the Irish leader, Viet Nam has great potential to contribute to ASEAN cultural development, particularly in cinematography.
He hoped that the relations with Viet Nam will support joint projects in the field between the two countries as well as between Ireland and ASEAN.
Agreeing with her guest, Ms. Ngan said both countries are active in joining multilateral institutions, including the UN. Viet Nam is willing to connect Ireland to the 600 million-strong ASEAN Economic Community, she said, hoping Ireland will help Viet Nam access the EU market, Ms. Ngan noted.
She expressed her wish that the Irish Government will create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese expatriates in the European country.
On the occasion, Ms. Ngan conveyed her invitation to Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Chairman of the Irish Lower House, to visit Viet Nam in an appropriate time.
Later the same day, State President Tran Dai Quang hosted a banquet in honor of the visiting Irish President.VNA./.
