NA Chairman receives Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association President in Geveva
Vietnam deeply values the contributions of the Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association, not only in terms of spiritual support but also through its efforts in mobilising donations for charitable and humanitarian activities, and supporting the poor.
Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man (R) presents a gift to President of the Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association Anjuska Marija Weil on July 28. (Photo: VNA)
Geneva (VNA) - Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man met with Anjuska Marija Weil, President of the Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association (SVFA), in Geneva on July 28, within the framework of his working trip to the Central European country.
NA Chairman Man emphasised that Vietnam’s current success is partly thanks to the support and assistance of international friends, including Anjuska Marija Weil, who has served as President of the SVFA for over 30 years. She has been a key figure in the association’s activities and has visited Vietnam more than 20 times.
He expressed his gratitude to the association leader for joining a movement to protest the war in Vietnam in the 1960s and for continuing to stand by the country until this day. He affirmed that Vietnam deeply values the contributions of the Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association, not only in terms of spiritual support but also through its efforts in mobilising donations for charitable and humanitarian activities, and supporting the poor. The association has helped Vietnam in building schools, assisting leprosy patients, and assisting victims of Agent Orange.
For her part, Anjuska Marija Weil noted that since its establishment in 1982, the mission and purpose of the association have remained unchanged: to promote friendship, mutual understanding, and cooperation between the people of Switzerland and Vietnam.
The working session between Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and President of the Switzerland–Vietnam Friendship Association Anjuska Marija Weil in Geneva on July 28 (Photo: VNA)
In recent years, the association has carried out humanitarian projects to support AO victims, provide microcredit assistance, and improve health care and education. It has also supported the Vietnamese community in Switzerland, including the establishment of the Binh Minh School to teach Vietnamese language to children of Vietnamese origin.
She asserted that in her capacity, she will continue to contribute to the development of the association as well as to the fine friendship and collaboration between Switzerland and Vietnam.
Congratulating the association on its recent achievements, especially its close collaboration with the Vietnamese community in organising many meaningful activities in Switzerlan⛄d, the top Vietnamese legislator said that thanks to Vietnam’s own efforts and the support from international partners, including Switzerland, the country has now succeeded in eliminating leprosy./.
National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga met with staff from Vietnamese representative offices and members of the Vietnamese community in Switzerland on July 27 (local time) in Geneva.
Since the start of Vietnam-Switzerland diplomatic relations in 1971, bilateral ties have grown stronger and stronger, with development and economic cooperation serving as the primary engine.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s participation in the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, along with his bilateral activities in Switzerland, underscore Vietnam’s steady policy of advancing the Vietnam - Switzerland comprehensive partnership.
Vietnam’s entry paved the way for other countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar to join ASEAN — which is considered one of Vietnam’s most notable contributions to the organisation, according to a Malaysian expert.
Vietnam remains firmly committed to advancing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and will give high priority to innovation, green transition, digital transformation, and inclusive, sustainable development, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.
With Vietnam's unity, determination, and resolute actions, along with the support of APEC member economies and the APEC Secretariat, the APEC Year 2027 will be a great success, contributing to peace, cooperation, development, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.
Vietnamese and Lao officials reiterated their resolve to further deepen the Vietnam–Laos great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, while maintaining close coordination at multilateral platforms and on regional issues.
As a new system requires a new approach and response, the PM requested ministries, sectors, and agencies to proactively renew their mindset, act decisively, and complete tasks thoroughly.
Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has become an increasingly influential and active voice within ASEAN, and contributed a lot of ideas and initiatives to the bloc, said Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man said while international financial centre is a long-established model in Switzerland, it remains a new concept for Vietnam, so the country needs experience from countries like Switzerland in this field.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's working trip to attend 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva will help strengthen the cooperative ties between Vietnam's legislature and the parliaments of IPU member countries, while also advancing the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Switzerland.
Since the beginning of its membership in 1995, the country has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to ASEAN’s core principles of unity, consensus, and regional resilience, said Permanent Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN Ambassador Derry Aman.
PM Pham Minh Chinh said that the rapid implementation of the political apparatus reorganisation and administrative unit merger has not fully anticipated all potential complications, leading to certain difficulties.
Gerardo Penalver Portal, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba underlined the great potential for developing bilateral relations, stating that based on the solid foundation of this exemplary relationship, Cuba and Vietnam are committed to building a comprehensive, effective, substantive, and sustainable cooperation.
The Party leader acknowledged the significant role of the People's Public Security Forces in maintaining peace and political stability for the nation’s rollout of multiple policies over the past time, as well as the department's contributions to protecting the Party and internal political security.
Look to the future, Thayer said that if Vietnam succeeds in its current programme of streamlining the party-state political system, it will take a proactive role in ASEAN to achieve three key objectives as suggested by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the BRICS Summit earlier this month.
Over the past three decades, Vietnam’s steady economic growth has caught the eye of global investors betting on ASEAN’s potential. Hoang spotlighted its strides in green technology and multi-sector growth, which have diversified regional supply chains.
Vietnam has also played a key role in upholding a rules-based order in the East Sea by steadfastly promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as by pushing for the finalisation of a Code of Conduct (COC).
Huong predicted that Vietnam’s role will remain strong, as long as ASEAN matters to the country’s foreign policy. As a growing economy with rising diplomatic stature, Vietnam is likely to maintain its position as part of the core group among key ASEAN members.
Reflecting on Vietnam’s entry into ASEAN in 1995, the diplomat observed that, for the first time, Southeast Asia became unified under a single bloc. Solidarity, mutual respect for sovereignty, and win-win cooperation are foundations for regional peace and stability, he stated.
Vietnam can serve as a mediator within ASEAN when conflicting views emerge, Prof. Ruhanas Harun from the Department of International Relations under the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) has said.
