National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan proposed the Vietnamese and Russian parliaments encourage relevant agencies to expand licensing their firms to export agricultural and aquatic products in line with reached bilateral agreements. 

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) holds talks
with Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian
Federation Valentina Matviyenko, Moscow, Russia, December 10, 2019. 

 Ngan made that statement during her talks with Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko on December 10 during her official vist to Russia. 

At the talks, Ngan spoke highly of fruitful developments in economic, trade and investment ties between the two sides, especially after the Viet Nam- Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement taking effect since October 2016. 

The two-way trade value hit US$4.5 billion in 2018 and US$3.4 billion over the recent nine months of 2019. 

The Vietnamese NA leader highly valued energy cooperation, particularly in oil and gas -a crucial pillar in Viet Nam-Russia cooperation as well as specific achievements in other sectors such as defense, security, military technology, education and training, science and technology, culture, tourism and local-to-local cooperation. 

The guest expressed thanks to Russia to raise the number of scholarships for Vietnamese students to 1,000 per year. 

Both sides referred to the increasing number of Russian visitors to Viet Nam, reaching more than 600,000 ones in 2018 while the number of Vietnamese arrivals to Russia saw a year-on-year increase of 20% in 2019, attaining 54,000 ones. 

The occasion, the Vietnamese legislator  thanked the Russian leaders to support Overseas Vietnamese in Russia, suggesting the two sides’ parliaments to facilitate issuance of visa and entry for Vietnamese citizens into Russia as the two sides are negotiating a travel agreement. 

As Viet Nam chairs the 41st General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA41), the Vietnamese NA will continue promoting the strategic partnership between ASEAN and Russia. 

The occasion, Ngan invited Matvienko to visit Viet Nam and attend the AIPA 41 in late August and early September 2020 in the northern province of Quang Ninh. 

Regarding the East Sea issue, the Vietnamese NA Chairwoman appraised Russia’s standpoint on the East Sea issue, advocating to addressing  disputes with peaceful measures in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, contributing to maintaining  peace, stability, freedom, safety and security of navigation and aviation in the East Sea as well as backing the full and strict realization of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon completing the Code of Conduct (COC). 

For her side, Matvienko asked the two sides to consider organizing the first meeting of the NA Committee for External Affairs. 

She raised her voice to support local-to-local cooperation with the Vietnamese localities, asking the two sides to soon organize the second conference on enhancing cooperation between the two nations’ localities. 

The two Governments are negotiating the inter-Governmental Agreement on selecting Vietnamese citizens to work in Russia, said the host, suggesting the two legislative bodies to assist legal procedures during the signing, approval and implementation process of the agreement. 

Matvienko vowed her support for the two Governments to soon sign the travel agreement and the inter-Governmental Agreement on selecting Vietnamese citizens to work in Russia, asserting that the two parliaments will supervise the process for the sake of their people.