Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-Aho. Photo: VGP

On the afternoon of March 25, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-Aho, who is on an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Speaking at the reception, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his belief that the visit will be a success, creating momentum to promote traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland.

The Prime Minister informed the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland about Vietnam's foreign policy as well as socio-economic development guidelines, policies and achievements.

The Prime Minister asked the Finnish Parliament to support the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the "yellow card" (IUU) on Vietnamese seafood.

He wants Finland to push the Parliaments of EU member states to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

He believes that EVIPA will help businesses from both countries access each other's and the region's markets.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-Aho. Photo: VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed that the two sides study new educational cooperation potentials in vocational training, share experiences in building a high-quality education system, and create conditions for expanding student exchange.

He proposed that the Finnish Government and National Assembly continue to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to live, do business and study stably in Finland, promoting the role of a bridge of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-Aho affirmed that Finland considers Vietnam the most important economic partner in ASEAN.

He wishes to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam to maximize the great potential between the two countries. Finland will accompany Vietnam in realizing its strong aspiration to become a high-income country in the coming years.

The two leaders appreciated the positive developments in cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

They agreed to continue working together to find new directions, new ways of doing things and motivation to deepen bilateral relations.

The two sides agreed to promote delegation exchanges and high-level contacts across all Party, State and National Assembly channels to increase political trust, strengthen close cooperation in multilateral forums to ensure stability, peace and sustainable development.

Regarding economic cooperation, the two countries will continue to facilitate and encourage connections between businesses and investors, utilizing benefits from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), especially in fields where both sides have needs and strengths such as high technology, green development, environment, agriculture, forestry, and information technology.

Regarding development cooperation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-Aho agreed that the two sides will continue to coordinate closely and effectively implement the framework agreement between the two Governments on projects funded under Finland's Public Sector Investment Facility.

Discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern, the two sides agreed to respect sovereignty, and territorial integrity, resolve disputes by peaceful means, and respect international law, especially the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).

The Speaker of the Parliament of Finland supports the stance and views of ASEAN and Vietnam on the East Sea issue, including ensuring safety and freedom of navigation and aviation.

He supports ASEAN and China's efforts to effectively and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

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