Armenian, Vietnamese legislators discuss possibilities of defense cooperation

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan has met with the Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Quang Phuong and Vietnamese legislators who have arrived to Armenia as part of the delegation led by Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn.

Arshakyan underscored the development of the warm relations between the two countries and said that Speaker Alen Simonyan’s recent visit to Vietnam and Chairman’s Trần Thanh Mẫn reciprocal visit create new opportunities for development of dialogue, the parliament’s press service said in a readout.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Armenia highlighted the promotion of multi-sector ties and spoke about the possibilities of partnership in the military-industrial and defense sectors. Armenia’s participation in the Defense Expo 2024 in Vietnam also indicates the cooperation between the two countries, he said.

He attached importance to the presence of Vietnamese companies in similar events held in Armenia.

Mutual visa waivers and opening direct flights can be of key importance, Arshakyan said.

In terms of partnership in the financial sector Arshakyan suggested starting from signing a double tax avoidance agreement. He also attached importance to the development of ties in education.

Arshakyan spoke about the regional challenges and briefed the legislators about the ongoing peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He reiterated Armenia’s readiness to sign the finalized draft peace agreement.

Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Quang Phuong attached importance to the regional peace and stability and expressed support for the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He valued the friendly relations between Armenia and Vietnam and attached importance to deepening of cooperation in various areas. The agenda of partnership in interparliamentary platforms was also discussed.

MP Arusyak Manavazyan, member of the Armenia-Vietnam parliamentary friendship group, and MP Armen Khachatryan, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security Affairs also participated in the meeting.