Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam treasures thecooperation with the Republic of Korea (RoK), considering the Northeast Asiannation as an important and long-term partner, and is ready to discuss theelevation of the strategic cooperative partnership with the country and developbilateral ties extensively in all spheres.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan made the statement whilereceiving head of the RoK – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group KimHak-yong in Hanoi on June 12.

Appreciating the group’s activities to helpstrengthen the two legislatures’ ties, the host expressed her hope that Koreanparliamentarians will keep contributing to these relations as well as thestrategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. 

She also asked them to continue supportingactivities of the Vietnamese community in the RoK, especially assistingVietnamese women married to Koreans to integrate into the local society.

Chairman of the parliamentary friendship groupKim congratulated Vietnam on its election as a non-permanent member of theUnited Nations Security Council for 2020-2021.

He highlighted that since the bilateraldiplomatic relationship was set up on December 22, 1992, the friendship andcooperation between Vietnam and the RoK have been developing strongly andincreasingly substantive. 

His country has become one of the leadingeconomic partners of Vietnam when it ranks first among the foreign investors,second among the ODA suppliers and foreign tourist sources, and third among thetrade partners of Vietnam. Bilateral connections in security, defence,education-training, tourism, labour, culture and sports have also beenexpanded, Kim added.

Ngan called on the countries’ parliamentaryfriendship groups to increase exchanges between them and between the twoparliaments’ agencies, while helping to promote result-oriented and sustainablerelations between Vietnam and the RoK.

On this occasion, she also asked her guest toconvey the invitation to visit Vietnam in 2019 to Speaker of the RoK’s NationalAssembly Moon Hee-sang.

At the meeting, Kim noted that there are about200,000 Vietnamese in the RoK, including some 65,000 women married to localcitizens. Meanwhile, around 170,000 Koreans are living in Vietnam at present.Therefore, an important task now is protecting citizens well and helping acountry’s citizens consider the other their second home.

Highly valuing Vietnam’s investment climate, theofficial said his parliamentary friendship group will continue working toconsolidate bilateral relations in all aspects.

He also noted several success stories in thesports cooperation, wishing Vietnam’s football team with Korean head coach ParkHang-seo will reap more successes.

Kim voiced his belief that the strategiccooperative partnership between the two countries will keep flourishing andcontribute to each side’s development and integration.

Later, Kim and his entourage were received by Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member,Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Party CentralCommittee’s Commission for Information and Education.-VNA