Hanoi (VNA) – Chairwoman of the NationalAssembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Crown Princess of Sweden VictoriaIngrid Alice Desiree, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi on May6.

The host welcomed the Crown Princess, her spouse,and the Swedish delegation who are visiting Vietnam on the occasion of the 50thfounding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. She expressed her beliefthat the trip will help intensify the traditional bilateral friendship andcooperation.

Vietnam and Sweden boast time-honouredfriendship and multi-faceted cooperation, founded by then President Ho Chi Minhand Prime Minister Olof Palme and nurtured by the two peoples over the lastfive decades.

Sweden was the first western country toestablish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, she stressed, adding that Vietnam hasnot forgotten the image of thousands of Swedish people streaming down the streetsto protest against the war in Vietnam.

Chairwoman Ngan thanked the Swedish RoyalFamily, government, and people for giving precious support to Vietnam,especially in non-refundable aid totaling over 3 billion USD. She alsoappreciated the European nation’s assistance to the Southeast Asian country in boostingrelations with international financial and monetary organisations in the past,and steps towards global integration at present.

Crown Princess Victoria voiced her delight atthe sound development of bilateral connections, noting that it is her firstvisit to Vietnam. The delegation of 50 Swedish firms wish to discuss not onlybusiness partnerships but also sustainable development – an issue of sharedconcern.

Chairwoman Ngan highlighted that Sweden is animportant and trustworthy partner of Vietnam in the European Union, with bilateraltrade reaching 1.5 billion USD in 2018. Meanwhile, Sweden now has 67 investmentprojects worth 364 million USD in Vietnam.

These figures remain modest and have yet tomatch the full potential of cooperation, she said, noting her hope that thebusinesses accompanying the Princess during this visit will have opportunitiesto learn about the local investment-business climate.

The NA leader said she believes once theEU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is signed and ratified, bilateral tradewill increase even more.

The host also affirmed that Vietnam is reformingits legal and administrative systems so as to create a solid legal frameworkand fair environment for foreign businesses, including Swedish firms, tooperate.

At the meeting, members of the Swedishdelegation noted more than 50,000 tourists from their country came to Vietnamlast year, and Swedish companies have created more than 120,000 jobs here. Theyalso said Sweden treasures its cooperation with Vietnam – a country withimportant standing in ASEAN.

Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge betweenSweden and ASEAN, Chairwoman Ngan affirmed, also asking Sweden, with itsexperience, to assist her country in coping with rising sea levels and other environmentalprotection issues. –VNA