VIETNAM, March 31 - HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese State, Government and National Assembly (NA) leaders on March 30 sent messages of congratulations to their Malaysian counterparts on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic relations (March 30, 1973-2023).

President Võ Văn Thưởng extended greetings to Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính congratulated Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ sent congratulatory messages to President of the Dewan Negara (upper house) Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim and Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Dato’ Johari bin Abdul.

On this occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and his Malaysian counterpart Zambry Abdul Kadir issued a Joint Press Communique.

The document read: “Notwithstanding the challenges faced during the years of relationship building, Malaysia and Việt Nam continue to focus on the opportunities to bring bilateral and regional relations closer together. The shared focus of interests has contributed to the ASEAN Community that has been a primary driving force in the larger regional architecture.”

The two sides further reaffirm their commitment to deepening political and economic cooperation. “Towards this end, we remain committed to implement the Plan of Action 2021-2025 under the Strategic Partnership between Malaysia and Việt Nam. We shall also strive to promote and conduct regular high-level engagements, and strengthen bilateral cooperation mechanisms,” the press communique said.

The ministers also affirmed the determination to keep on the continued cooperation at multilateral fora in response to global challenges. — VNS