Arusha, October 8, 2026 – The Europe Today: Vice President of Vietnam’s National Assembly Nguyễn Hồng Diên held bilateral meetings with senior government and parliamentary leaders from Tanzania, Malaysia, Australia, Russia and Algeria on October 5 on the sidelines of the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-153) in Arusha, Tanzania.
During his meeting with Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba, the two sides expressed appreciation for the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Tanzania, which has been nurtured through the historic ties between President Hồ Chí Minh and President Julius Nyerere.
Prime Minister Nchemba conveyed greetings and an invitation to Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng to visit Tanzania. He also praised the contribution of Halotel, a subsidiary of Viettel Group, to Tanzania’s socio-economic development.
The two sides agreed to expand cooperation in telecommunications, digital transformation, agriculture, irrigation, energy, mining, science and technology and infrastructure.
Diên proposed increasing high-level delegation exchanges through Party, parliamentary and governmental channels, accelerating negotiations on agreements concerning investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation, and creating favorable conditions for Halotel’s operations in Tanzania.
At a meeting with Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Johari bin Abdul, Diên and his counterpart agreed to strengthen parliamentary cooperation, reinforce ASEAN solidarity and cooperation, increase intra-ASEAN trade and enhance food and energy security.
They also agreed to intensify exchanges among young parliamentarians, women legislators and representatives of ethnic minority communities, while promoting cooperation in the Halal sector.
During talks with Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick, both sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Dick spoke highly of the outcomes of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Tô Lâm’s state visit to Australia in August, saying the visit had provided fresh momentum for implementing the bilateral partnership and noting the strong growth in economic and trade relations.
He said Vietnam is currently Australia’s fourth-largest education partner, with around 36,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia. Dick also affirmed the shared vision of Vietnam and Australia for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region and sought Vietnam’s support for his candidacy for President of the IPU for the 2026-2029 term.
Diên called for greater exchanges at all levels, including between localities, specialized agencies, parliamentary friendship groups and business communities.
The two sides discussed efforts to refine the legal framework with the aim of increasing bilateral trade turnover to US$20 billion and doubling investment over the next five years. They also emphasized creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Australia.
Diên urged continued coordination and mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums, particularly in promoting multilateralism, respect for international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In talks with Deputy Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, the two sides highlighted the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia and the importance of legislative cooperation.
They agreed to closely coordinate preparations for Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko’s planned visit to Vietnam in November, including arrangements for signing and implementing cooperation agreements between parliamentary institutions and localities.
Diên reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent commitment to preserving its solidarity and traditional friendship with the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia, and expressed readiness to cooperate closely in preparations for Matviyenko’s visit.
At a meeting with Vice President of Algeria’s Council of the Nation Mohammed Larbi Slimani, the two sides underscored the importance they attach to their traditional friendship and mutual support.
The Algerian side invited Diên to visit Algeria and agreed to promote economic and trade cooperation, support Vietnamese enterprises operating and investing in Algeria and facilitate their access to regional markets.
Diên proposed strengthening high-level exchanges and parliamentary cooperation, while expanding collaboration in oil and gas, high-tech agriculture, healthcare, science and technology.
He also called for negotiations on a trade agreement to establish a stronger foundation for bilateral trade and investment relations and asked Algeria’s Council of the Nation to continue supporting the operations of Vietnam National Industry-Energy Group (PVN) in Algeria.
Diên described oil and gas cooperation as an important pillar of Vietnam-Algeria relations.
The Vietnamese delegation, led by NA Vice President Diên, is attending IPU-153 from October 5 to 9 under the theme “Enhancing good governance and empowering community through inclusivity, trust, and opportunity for all.”
On October 5 and 6, Diên attended the opening ceremony and high-level debate sessions, where discussions focused on global governance, multilateralism, parliamentary diplomacy and the role of communities in addressing shared challenges.
On October 7, he delivered remarks at the General Debate of the IPU-153 Assembly and continued bilateral meetings with IPU leaders and parliamentary representatives from other countries.
During the visit, Diên and the Vietnamese delegation also visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Tanzania, where they met embassy officials and representatives of Vietnamese businesses.
He commended the embassy’s efforts and briefed participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic development and the new National Assembly’s approach of shifting from “management” toward “development facilitation.”
Diên called on the embassy to continue strengthening political trust, advancing parliamentary diplomacy, facilitating economic, trade and investment cooperation, supporting Vietnamese businesses and protecting the legitimate interests of the Vietnamese community in Tanzania.
