(VOVworld) – Vietnam hopes Belgium’s Government and legislative bodies will accelerate the ratification of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and enhance relations between the two nations.

NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu (L) and President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium Siegfred Bracke (Photo: VNA)

At a meeting with President of the Chamber of Representatives Siegfred Bracke on Tuesday, during his ongoing working visit to Belgium and the EU, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu asserted Vietnam’s consistent policy of strengthening ties with Belgium.

Siegfred Bracke urged the two countries to expand cooperation, especially in culture, education, and training. He praised Vietnam’s efforts to promote economic reform and gender equality, as well as its implementation of the EVFTA in the near future.

During a meeting with Belgium’s President of the Senate Christine Defraigne, Mr. Luu suggested the parliaments speed up cooperation at the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism, and work closely to deal with global issues.

On the same day, the NA Vice Chairman also met European Parliament Vice President Dimitrios Papadimoulis to discuss ways to step up the Vietnam-EU relations and parliamentary cooperation. Mr. Luu and his entourage also had working sessions with the Chairman of the EP’s Delegation to Southeast Asia, ASEAN (DASE) Werner Langen, and Speaker of the Flanders regional parliament Jan Peumans.