Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho and his entourage offered flowers and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh (Photo: VNA)

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho and a high-ranking delegation of the Finnish Parliament began a three-day official visit to Vietnam from March 24-26 at the invitation of National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

This is the first official visit of the Speaker outside Europe since he took office, demonstrating Vietnam's special position in Finland's foreign policy and the excellent friendly relations between the two legislatures.

It was also a high-level exchange activity marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Finland diplomatic ties (1973-2023).

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho and his entourage offered flowers and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh (Photo: VNA)

The traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland have been maintained and developed well. Finland always gives Vietnam much attention and support.

Finland has continuously provided non-refundable aid to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations. Economic-trade-investment cooperation is a top priority in their relations.

Two-way trade has continuously increased, reaching nearly 380 million USD in 2023. However, it is still a modest number, especially in the context of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect in 2020.

Regarding investment, Finland currently ranks 58th out of 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 35 valid projects worth over 47 million USD.

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho respectfully offered flowers and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh (Photo: VNA)

During his stay, Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho held talks with NA Chairman Hue, and met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and head of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai.

Within the framework of multilateral cooperation, the two sides agreed to maintain contact, coordination and mutual support at global and regional parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP)./.