Hanoi (VNA) - The official visit to Malaysia by Party General Secretary To Lam from November 21-23 will help elevate the relationship between the two countries to a new level, thereby creating new and important opportunities to strengthen Vietnam’s peaceful environment and attracting additional resources for national development, a Party official has said.

Talking to the press on the threshold of the visit, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung said that the Party leader's trip holds great significance in implementing the foreign policy outlined by the 13th National Party Congress and the related documents on foreign affairs, which highlight the importance of relations with ASEAN countries, including Malaysia.

He added Malaysia holds a key position in Southeast Asia and has significant prestige and influence within ASEAN, especially in the context that it will officially assume the role of ASEAN Chair in 2025.

Trung noted that the Vietnam-Malaysia relationship has developed comprehensively, and robustly, especially over the past 10 years since the two countries established a strategic partnership in 2015. Vietnam is the only ASEAN country with which Malaysia has established such a partnership. This has led to better mutual understanding and strengthened political trust.

According to the official, the two countries share common views on major international issues, and their relationship has flourished in many fields. He added that Malaysia is an important economic partner of Vietnam, being the third-largest trading partner within ASEAN and consistently one of the top 10 foreign investors in Vietnam.

There are currently tens of thousands of Vietnamese workers in Malaysia. Every year, around 700,000 to 800,000 Vietnamese and Malaysian tourists visit each other's countries.

Bilateral cooperation in defence and security has also been expanded, with new mechanisms, agreements, and forms of collaboration, and collaboration at multilateral forums, including ASEAN, has also become closer.

Trung informed that during the visit, the Party leader is expected to meet with the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate of Malaysia, as well as leaders of the largest political parties in Malaysia.

He will deliver an important policy speech at the Universiti Malaya (University of Malaya), the largest and most prestigious university in Malaysia, and hold meetings with business representatives and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Malaysia.

Trung said the meetings will provide the two countries’ leaders with the opportunity to exchange views on international and regional situations, as well as developments of each country, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and strengthening political trust.

At the same time, the visit will provide a solid foundation for further elevating the bilateral relationship in all aspects, particularly in areas of mutual interest, such as politics, foreign affairs, defence, security, economics, and people-to-people exchanges, he added./.