Hanoi (VNA) - National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man hosted a reception on July 26 for Siarhei Khamenka, Vice Chairman of the Council of the Republic (Senate) of Belarus, who is leading a delegation to Vietnam to attend the state funeral of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Man said that the Belarusian delegation's attendance at the state funeral demonstrates the sincere feelings and sharing of the country’s State and people towards the Party, State, and people of Vietnam during this period of sorrow and loss.

Vietnam always values its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belarus and remembers the sincere support and assistance that the Belarusian people provided for Vietnam in its struggle for national liberation and reunification in the past, as well as its current nation building and development cause, he said, expressing his wish to further enhance cooperation with Belarus in all areas.

Vietnam will continue the foreign policy set forth by General Secretary Trong, which consistently values and develops friendship and cooperation with traditional friends, including Belarus, Man affirmed.

Recalling General Secretary Trong's two official visits to Belarus in 2009 as Chairman of the National Assembly and in 2014 as Party General Secretary, Man stated that Vietnam highly values the political relationship between the two countries, which continues to be maintained and developed following these visits.

In particular, the Vietnamese NA always supports the enhancement of its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Belarus in such areas as security, defence, economics, trade, investment, education and training, science and technology, culture and tourism, and local cooperation, he said, adding the legislature will continue to implement the cooperation agreement between the two parliaments, signed in April 2009 during Trong’s visit to Belarus.

To promote bilateral parliamentary cooperation, the top Vietnamese legislator proposed both sides step up the exchange of delegations at all levels, share information and experiences in legislative and supervision affairs, maintain consultations, information exchange, and collaboration among legislators within the framework of multilateral inter-parliamentary forums, and coordinate in building and completing the legal framework, thus facilitating cooperation between the two governments, localities, and businesses in all fields.

Siarhei Khamenka conveyed his profound condolences of Belarusian leaders and people to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam on the passing of General Secretary Trong; and handed over a message of condolences of the President of Belarus to NA Chairman Man, emphasising that Belarus has lost a good friend who made significant contributions to the development of the two countries’ friendship and collaboration.

🦹 He noted that despite the geographical distance, the two countries share similar future visions. He said that he will forward Man's proposals to the Chairman of the Belarusian Senate, and believes that the relations between the two countries in general, and the two parliaments in particular, will continue to grow further./.