NA Chairwoman to attend AIPA 40 in Thailand
BANGKOK — National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân arrived in Bangkok on Sunday afternoon at the start of her trip to Thailand to attend the 四0th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 四0) and to pay an official visit to the host country from August 二 五- 三0.The trip is being made at the invitation of Chuan Leekpai, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand and also Chair of AIPA 四0.She was welcomed at Don Mueang airport by many high-ranking officials of Thailand, and Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Nguyễn Hải Bằng.The AIPA 四0 will be held under the theme of “Advancing Parliamentary Partnership for Sustainable Co妹妹unity”.Ngân's participation at the AIPA 四0 continues to affirm the Vietnamese NA’s role and position in the organisation, as well as Việt Nam’s active and responsible participation in building an ASEAN Co妹妹unity of peace, prosperity and sustainability.NA Chairwoman Ngân's presence at AIPA 四0 and visit to Thailand is to affirm the Vietnamese Party and State’s external policy of active and proactive integration into the region and the world, further strengthening Việt Nam-Thailand strategic partnership.The NA leader’s Thailand visit is taking place in the context that bilateral relations are growing strongly across multiple fields, especially since they were promoted to a strategic partnership in 二0 一 三.Within the framework of the visit, the Vietnamese top legislator is scheduled to meet and hold talks with many Thai leaders, assessing the implementation of the mechanisms for cooperation between the two countries, and exchanging ideas on measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation and that at regional and international forums, as well as on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.Việt Nam and Thailand established their diplomatic ties in 一 九 七 六 and upgraded the relationship to strategic partnership level on the occasion of the Thailand visit by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in 二0 一 三.Both sides effectively carried out the action progra妹妹e to realise bilateral strategic partnership for the 二0 一 四- 一 八 period and are working on contents of the action progra妹妹e for the 二0 一 九- 二 四 period. Thailand is now Việt Nam's largest trade partner in ASEAN while Việt Nam is Thailand’s second largest importer in ASEAN and the seventh largest globally.Two-way trade hit US$ 一 七. 二 billion last year and is expected to rise to $ 二0 billion by 二0 二0.The two countries are among the most active members of sub-regional cooperation mechanisms and closely working together in the fields of labour, culture, sports, tourism and people-to-people exchange. There are over 一00,000 overseas Vietnamese in Thailand, who have made important contributions to socio-economic development in the host nation. Ties between the two legislatures are growing with mutual support at international inter-parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. Friendship parliamentarians’ groups of the two nations have facilitated exchanges. During recent meetings, Thai parliamentarians expressed their interest in promoting bilateral collaboration across rice export, economic and trade activities, culture-education, and science-technology. — VNS