Switzerland is Vietnam’s important economic partner in Europe, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said while arriving in the European country for an official visit on Tuesday. 

>> VN wishes to promote ties with Switzerland, EU The visit was made at the invitation of President of the Swiss National Council (Lower House) Ruedi Lustenberger. After an official welcome ceremony for NA Chairman Hung at the headquarters of the Swiss parliament in Berne, the Vietnamese lawmaker held talks with his host. Chairman Hung expressed his pleasure at the development of the two countries’ friendship and multifaceted cooperation over the past years. He hopes that Switzerland will continue encouraging its businesses to invest in Vietnam, especially in finance, banking, insurance, high technology, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the Vietnamese official added. The chairman also thanked the Swiss parliament and government for their support and provision of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. He told his host that Switzerland’s ODA capital has been used effectively in Vietnam, contributing to the country’s poverty reduction program, rural development, environmental protection, and socio-economic development. He also invited President Ruedi Lustenberger to visit Vietnam and attend the 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-132) to be held in the country in March 2015. Meanwhile, President Ruedi Lustenberger highly valued the Vietnamese National Assembly’s adoption of a new constitution, describing it as an important milestone in the country’s legislative work. He also agreed that the two countries will further promote their bilateral cooperation in all areas, saying that the Swiss parliament, with its experience, is ready to assist Vietnam in implementing the constitution. In order to develop the Vietnam-Switzerland comprehensive cooperation, the two countries should maintain the exchange of all-level delegations, especially friendship parliamentarian groups, and promote people-to-people exchanges, the two leaders said.