National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue meets President of the Belgian Senate Stéphanie D’Hose in Hanoi, August 21, 2023.  (Photo: quochoi.vn)

Mr. Hue called on the two countries to create more favorable conditions for each other’s citizens over the visa issue to promote people-to-people exchange and trade and investment cooperation. 

He called on Belgium to create optimal conditions for Vietnamese goods, especially rice and coffee, to penetrate the Belgian and EU markets. Mr. Hue proposed that the Belgian Federal Parliament help push the European Commission to remove as soon as possible its IUU yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood.

D’Hose said that the Belgian Federal Parliament is pushing for the process of ratifying the EU‑Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIP), which is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2024. She suggested Vietnam provide favorable visa-related conditions for citizens of Belgium and other EU member nations.

The two leaders agreed that both countries should continue to support each other as Vietnam and Belgium are members of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

After the talks, the two sides signed a letter of intent on cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Belgian Parliament.