Party leader To Lam (L) and President of the Malaysian Senate Dato’ Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah, Kuala Lumpur, November 21, 2024. (Photo: VOV)

Mr. Lam said the upgrading of ties between Vietnam and Malaysia to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will create favorable conditions for the two countries to leverage positive factors and effectively respond to the complex and rapidly changing international situation.

Recognising the importance of collaboration between the Malaysian Parliament and the Vietnamese National Assembly, Party leader Lam proposed that they negotiate new cooperation agreements to create strong momentum and establish a solid foundation for future bilateral relations. He said he hopes the Malaysian Parliament will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese living and working in Malaysia.

The Malaysian Senate President vowed to work closely with Vietnam and other ASEAN nations to strengthen ASEAN's centrality and operational effectiveness in the new context.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, upholding international law, and respecting every state’s legitimate rights and interests in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They underscored the need to settle disputes through peaceful measures, not the use or threat of force, to avoid actions inconsistent with international law that complicate the situation, to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and to expedite negotiations to achieve an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).