Kochanova met with Vietnam Women’s Union delegation

Historically, since the time of the Soviet Union, Belarus and Vietnam have been enjoying good relations – as stated by Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova during a meeting with a delegation of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VMU). Today, good relations between the two countries are developing intensively, largely due to the leaders of the two countries.

Politics is for people

Natalya Kochanova paid special attention to the inter-parliamentary co-operation between Belarus and Vietnam, “We liaise with Vietnamese colleagues on international platforms and we are grateful for your support. A friendship group is working in Parliament. We would like the interaction to be even more intense, as we definitely have topics for co-operation: in the economy, in the humanitarian sphere, between regions and public organisations.”

The Speaker of the Council of the Republic spoke about the recent participation of Belarusian women in the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum, which was attended by representatives from more than 120 countries, “We all talked about one thing: women should defend the ideals of peace, friendship between all countries, and support the policy of traditional family values. I know that Vietnam and Belarus share absolutely similar positions on these issues.”

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic stressed that the policy currently pursued in Belarus is aimed at improving the welfare of citizens and their comfort, “As the Head of State always says people are the most important thing. Special attention in our social policy is paid to women. Supporting women and families who raise children is a good example for many countries around the world. Our foreign policy envisages only peacefulness and good relations with all states that are aimed at constructive interaction with our country. We have never acted as aggressors. However, we will do everything to protect our country.”

Natalya Kochanova drew attention to the fact that the Vietnamese people, like Belarusians, understand well what it means to live peacefully on their land, as they also suffered from unfair treatment, “While new hot spots are appearing on the planet, we, Belarusian women, are more actively involved in defending freedom and peace on our planet. It is sad that information technology today makes it possible to pass off the truth as a lie, a lie as the truth…”

Value of peace

Natalya Kochanova underlined that next year Belarus will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, “It is very important for us that our people live in peace and harmony. You were able to appreciate how we live and learn many pages of our history. They wanted to destroy our people, they wanted to exterminate us, our country was burnt to ashes…”

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic expressed confidence that the visit of the women’s delegation will give a new impetus to Belarus-Vietnam co-operation.

In turn, the Chairperson of the Vietnam Women’s Union, Ha Thi Nga, noted that nothing can replace personal contacts and meetings. She stressed that the Vietnamese people also survived the war, and many people died, “We withstood and won. We have peace now, and we understand its price more than ever.”

The head of the Vietnamese delegation said that they had already visited the First [Pershy] National Trading House, a number of Belarusian enterprises, and also had a meeting at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

“We are a little jealous of your people that they live in such conditions and receive so much help from the state,” she noted.