Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly (NA) President Tran Thanh Man met with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in Hanoi on October 18, discussing measures to strengthen bilateral ties and promote parliamentary cooperation.
The meeting took place during the Swiss President's official visit to Vietnam on October 17-18, as the two countries mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
NA President Man welcomed the outcomes of President Parmelin’s talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, affirming Vietnam’s support for stronger parliamentary ties to help implement high-level agreements.
He highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to improve its legal framework and competitiveness, and called on Switzerland to accelerate ratification procedures for the newly signed free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states.
He also encouraged Swiss investment in infrastructure and financial markets in Vietnam, while seeking Swish experience in developing international financial centres, green finance, and financial technology.
In science, technology and innovation, the NA President called for greater support to enhance the capacity of Vietnamese enterprises, promote technology transfer, and strengthen cooperation in biotechnology, green energy, the digital economy and high-quality agriculture. He also expressed his desire to expand cultural and educational cooperation, urging Switzerland to increase scholarships for Vietnamese students and facilitate visa procedures to promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
He proposed stepping up exchanges between the leaders of the two legislative bodies, their specialised committees, friendship parliamentary groups, women parliamentarians and young lawmakers. He also called for sharing experience in building a rule-of-law state and improving legal frameworks governing digital assets and the energy transition.
NA President Man expressed his hope that the two sides would work closely together within the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP). He also asked the Swiss President to convey an invitation to the leaders of the Swiss Parliament to visit Vietnam at a mutually convenient time.
For his part, President Parmelin affirmed that Switzerland attaches great importance to its relations with Vietnam and sees considerable potential for further bilateral cooperation.
He stressed the need to translate the Comprehensive Partnership framework into concrete joint projects with clear priorities, and called on Vietnam to share its priority areas for cooperation so that both sides could concentrate their efforts on advancing them.
Welcoming the positive growth in bilateral trade, the Swiss President expressed confidence that the Vietnam–EFTA FTA would provide fresh impetus for expanding cooperation across a wide range of areas. He stressed that amid rising protectionist trends worldwide, the signing of the agreement was particularly significant, demonstrating a commitment to free trade and opening up mutually beneficial business opportunities.
He underscored the importance of protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights, including geographical indications, to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of businesses. Sharing Switzerland’s experience, he noted that robust intellectual property protection was a key factor in maintaining the country’s position among the world’s leading innovators and encouraging investment in research and development.
President Parmelin expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Vietnam in clean energy, transport and vocational training, and proposed joint research, development and commercialisation of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. He invited Vietnamese leaders to attend the AI Summit in Geneva in June 2027, together pushing for closer cooperation to ensure that everyone benefits from the technology.
Both leaders agreed to leverage parliamentary cooperation to promote the implementation of high-level agreements, linking exchanges of legislative experience with oversight of implementation. They also stressed the need to translate cooperation priorities into concrete outcomes that deliver tangible benefits to the people and businesses of the two countries./.
