TEHRAN – Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s Parliament Speaker, said on Tuesday that Iran and Vietnam have agreed to expand regional and international cooperation.

Ghalibaf made the remarks during a joint press conference with Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Ghalibaf said he had discussed various issues with Hue and the two have agreed to strengthen ties in several fields including economy, health, and diplomacy.

“During the meeting, we put great emphasis on cultural, scientific and touristic collaborations between the two nations. Both of us also emphasized the implementation of all previous agreements including economic ones that are estimated to reach two billion dollars. All the shortcomings of the past must be made up for and we should increase our level of cooperation,” the Iranian parliament speaker told reporters.

Ghalibaf also announced that Iran and Vietnam have made new visa and trade-related decisions. He said people will soon be able to travel between Tehran and Hanoi through direct flights.

For his part, Hue invited Ghalibaf to pay an official visit to Vietnam. The two officials signed an MOU for parliamentary cooperation at the end of the conference.

Vietnam’s National Assembly chairman arrived in Tehran on Tuesday morning, beginning his official visit to Iran at an invitation of Iran’s parliament speaker. Hue was scheduled to meet with more high-ranking Iranian officials as well as the president of the Iran-Vietnam friendship association.

Hue's trip has taken place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Vietnam, nearly 25 years after NA Chairman Nong Duc Manh’s Iran visit in 1999, and five years after Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani visited Vietnam in April of 2018.