National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee led a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly on an official visit and working trip to the Swiss Confederation from September 28 to 30.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh led a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) on an official visit to Switzerland from September 28 to 30.

During the trip, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh held talks with First Vice President of the Swiss National Council Katja Christ and met with Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).

She attended and delivered remarks at a ceremony marking the 81st National Day of Vietnam and the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Switzerland. She also met with leaders of the Swiss Labour Party, the Communist Party of Switzerland, the Swiss-Vietnam Friendship Association, and Swiss friends, while visiting the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.

During the talks in Bern, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh thanked the Swiss parliament for the warm reception, affirming that Vietnam attaches importance to its relations with Switzerland as one of its key partners in Europe. She expressed the desire to further deepen the comprehensive partnership on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, she proposed that the two sides enhance delegation exchanges and share legislative experiences in areas of mutual interest, while continuing to coordinate and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF). She also called for the effective implementation of the comprehensive partnership framework, closer coordination at the United Nations and regional mechanisms, and expanded cooperation in science and technology, fintech, international financial centers, digital finance, blockchain, sustainable finance, security and defense, education and training, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Additionally, she asked Switzerland to continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community of more than 10,000 people in the country to settle down, study, work, and successfully integrate while serving as a bridge for bilateral ties.

For her part, First Vice President of the Swiss National Council Katja Christ praised the visit as an important milestone in the year the two countries celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations, contributing to political trust, maintaining delegation exchanges, and promoting cooperation between the two parliaments.

She expressed the desire for both legislative bodies to strengthen cooperation, support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums, and share parliamentary operation experiences, while further enhancing  the role of female lawmakers and encouraging women's participation and contributions in political life and parliamentary activities. The Swiss side noted that the conclusion of free trade negotiations between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states marks an important milestone, opening up further opportunities to boost economic, trade, and investment cooperation.

Both sides agreed to continue leveraging parliamentary cooperation to push up bilateral ties across all fields and strengthen coordination within multilateral mechanisms, particularly the United Nations, while upholding multilateralism and respecting international law. Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh urged Switzerland to continue supporting freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh invited Katja Christ to pay an official visit to Vietnam, an invitation the Swiss official accepted with pleasure.

During her meeting in Geneva with Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), Thanh affirmed that Vietnam values the role of the United Nations, supports multilateralism, the UN Charter, and international law, and highlights the role of parliaments in advancing sustainable development goals. She proposed further enhancing coordination between Vietnam, the United Nations, UNOG, and the IPU to tackle common challenges facing the international community.

Director-General Tatiana Valovaya affirmed the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and the IPU, emphasizing that parliamentary engagement is essential for sustainable development. She thanked Vietnam for cooperation and standing alongside the international community in addressing common challenges, while hailing Vietnam's coordination with the United Nations and the contributions made by the Vietnamese Mission in Geneva to joint activities.

During her meetings with the leaders of the Swiss Labour Party and the Communist Party of Switzerland, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh affirmed that Vietnam always remembers and cherishes the sentiment and support extended by left-wing parties and the Swiss people. She sought to further promote traditional relations, stepping up  information sharing, theory, and practical experience to advance bilateral ties across party, state, parliamentary, and people-to-people channels.

She briefed the Swiss parties on major orientations following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, socio-economic development achievements, and an independent, self-reliant, multilateralized, and diversified foreign policy of proactive and active international integration. She suggested that the two parties continue intensifying information exchange and discussions on respective domestic situations as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Co-Chairman of the Swiss Labour Party Alexander Eniline recalled the support of many generations of party members for Vietnam during its struggle for national independence and reunification. He congratulated Vietnam on its achievements and expressed the desire to strengthen contacts, exchanges, and experience-sharing the Communist Party of Vietnam, focusing on promoting the role of young party members and continuing the traditions of preceding generations. Meanwhile, Head of International Relations of the Communist Party of Switzerland Samuel Iembo expressed admiration and high appreciation for Vietnam's socio-economic development and international integration achievements. He wished to further foster solidarity and friendship between the two parties, expand practical and concrete contacts and exchanges, and focus on sharing information, theory, experience, and perspectives on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Another activity in Switzerland was a meeting with President of the Swiss-Vietnam Friendship Association Anjuska Marija Weil and Swiss friends. Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh expressed deep gratitude for the Association's contributions to promoting and strengthening solidarity and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. She emphasized that generations of Swiss friends laid the foundational bricks for people-to-people friendship, and praised the Association's activities, particularly supporting vulnerable people and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, preserving the Vietnamese language, spreading Vietnamese culture, and strengthening cohesion within the Vietnamese community in Switzerland.

For her part, Anjuska Marija Weil stated that the Association will maintain activities directed toward Vietnam, actively transmit information about Vietnam to the Swiss public, and accompany the "Binh Minh" Vietnamese language school in Zurich. After 10 years of operation, the school continues to contribute to preserving the Vietnamese language, connecting culture, maintaining identity, and strengthening ties among generations of Vietnamese people in Switzerland.

During her stay in Switzerland, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Thanh also visited the Vietnamese Embassy and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Geneva.