KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and Dewan Negara President Senator Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah received a courtesy call from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the Parliament Building today. The delegation, led by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, arrived at the building at around 4.30 pm. They held a nearly hour-long discussion with Johari, followed by a meeting with Awang Bemee.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the visit reflected the close and growing ties between Malaysia and Vietnam, focusing on strategic cooperation in areas such as security, economy, and diplomacy. The meeting further strengthened the strong relationship between the Malaysian and Vietnamese Parliaments, supporting regional and international parliamentary diplomacy agendas, as well as trade and investment relations between the two nations, emphasising the importance of technological and innovation development to achieve sustai
nable economic growth.
“Both sides agreed that economic cooperation is a crucial foundation for ensuring bilateral relations remain strong and relevant in the era of globalisation,” the statement read. The statement also noted that during the meeting, Johari emphasised the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening bilateral ties and supporting ASEAN’s efforts to ensure regional stability.
‘To Lam, on his part, expressed Vietnam’s commitment to continuing close ties with Malaysia, recognising the importance of strategic cooperation in strengthening ASEAN integration and enhancing people-to-people connections between the two countries,’ it added. Lam, on a three-day working visit, arrived in Malaysia this morning and was hosted for a luncheon with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya.
This was followed by a meeting with Anwar to enhance bilateral relations and witness the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost trade promotion between the Malaysia E
xternal Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), as well as an MoU on renewable energy cooperation was signed between PETRONAS and PETROVIETNAM. This marks Lam’s first visit to Malaysia since his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in August this year.
The last time Malaysia hosted a visit from the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam was in March 1994, a year before Vietnam’s official entry into ASEAN.