Vietnam-Switzerland parliamentary cooperation: Affirming belief in dialogue and peace

Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass emphasized that the working trip of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his wife to attend the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, conduct bilateral activities in Switzerland, and visit Senegal and Morocco from July 22-30 strongly demonstrates Vietnam's belief in dialogue, solidarity and peace.

Ambassador Thomas Gass answers questions from the press ahead of the working visit of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man . (Photo: Pham Truong)

At the invitation of President of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Tulia Ackson, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, President of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami and President of the Senegalese Parliament El Malick Ndiaye, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, on behalf of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, together with his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, attended the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Switzerland; conducted bilateral activities in Switzerland; and paid official visits to Morocco and Senegal from July 22-30.

On this occasion, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Gass gave an interview to the press ahead of the visit.

Parliamentary Diplomacy - Bridging Vietnam-Switzerland Relations

According to the Ambassador, in the current volatile global context, the World Parliamentary Forum organized by the IPU is a reminder that true sustainable development must be people-centered, require genuine participation of people, respect for interdependence and solidarity among nations.

Therefore, the presence of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man in Geneva (Switzerland) once again affirms that Vietnam believes in the role of the legislative body in the political system as well as the supervision of people's representatives, with full diversity in terms of region, gender, ethnicity and viewpoint. At the same time, the visit also strongly affirms Vietnam's belief in dialogue, solidarity and peace.

From July 22-30, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will attend the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, conduct bilateral activities in Switzerland, and pay official visits to Morocco and Senegal. (Source: National Assembly Portal)

Affirming that parliamentary diplomacy has been one of the pillars of cooperation between the two countries in recent years, Ambassador Thomas Gass recalled the visit of President of the Swiss National Council Maja Riniker to Hanoi in June 2023, along with two Vice Presidents, thereby resuming high-level parliamentary dialogue and promoting legal and trade cooperation.

In addition, in March 2024, a delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly met with Swiss parliamentarians in Geneva to enhance legislative exchanges and connect with the Vietnamese community. Most recently, in January 2025, two Swiss parliamentarians participated in the Francophone Parliamentary Cooperation Forum held in Can Tho, focusing on topics such as sustainable agriculture and climate change.

According to Ambassador Thomas Gass, National Assembly Chairwoman Maja Riniker may invite National Assembly Chairwoman Tran Thanh Man to pay an official visit to the Nordic country in the near future, marking an important milestone in bilateral parliamentary cooperation.

“We hope that in the future there will be an official bilateral visit,” the Swiss diplomat believes.

Continue to foster bilateral cooperation

Reviewing some outstanding achievements in recent bilateral cooperation, Ambassador Thomas Gass said that in the first half of 2025, Vietnam-Switzerland relations continued to develop positively in many fields, especially after the two sides officially established a Comprehensive Partnership in January 2025.

Notably, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter pledged to promote negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) on the occasion of attending the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January 2025.

In addition, in May 2025, the two countries celebrated the 35th anniversary with many practical results between Vietnam and Switzerland, and introduced the Cooperation Program for the period 2025-2028. Digital financial cooperation was approved by launching the Fintech Regulatory Sandbox in collaboration with the State Bank of Vietnam, while the field of climate change between the two countries also marked a new achievement with the completion of the flood prevention project in Can Tho jointly implemented by Switzerland and the World Bank.

On the occasion of attending the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter. (Source: VNA)

In addition, economic, trade and innovation exchanges continued to be vibrant. The Vietnam-Switzerland Economic Forum, together with promotion programs of the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland, connected businesses, scholars and local leaders of the two countries in areas such as smart agriculture, tourism, clean energy and financial technology.

In the field of culture and people-to-people exchange, many Swiss artists and films participated in International Francophone Day events in Vietnam, demonstrating the mutual interest between the two cultures.

In particular, on the occasion of Vietnam's upcoming 80th National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025), the Swiss diplomat commented that the international role and position of the S-shaped country are increasingly being enhanced.

“As a dynamic, resilient and ambitious country, I believe that Vietnam can be stronger in protecting the values it believes in, such as peace, solidarity and cooperation among nations,” the Ambassador pointed out.

The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is a special and highest-level mechanism established by the IPU, with close coordination with the United Nations, creating a forum for heads of legislative bodies of countries to exchange views and promote parliamentary cooperation.

The 6th Conference of Speakers of Parliament will take place from July 29-31 at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), with the theme: "A world in turmoil: Parliamentary cooperation and multilateralism for peace, justice and prosperity for all people".

Switzerland and Vietnam officially established diplomatic relations on October 11, 1971. Currently, Switzerland is an important trading partner of Vietnam in Europe, while Vietnam is the country's 4th largest trading partner in ASEAN.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hop-tac-nghi-vien-viet-nam-thuy-sy-khang-dinh-niem-tin-vao-doi-thoai-va-hoa-binh-321705.html