(VOVworld)-Vietnam and Sweden have agreed to boost trade and investment ties to meet their potential during talks in Stockholm yesterday between National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Urban Ahlin.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (middle) at the talk with Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Urban Ahlin (Photo: Le Tuyet/ VOV)

The leaders shared the view that early signing and ratification of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement will benefit all parties involved, helping to raise Vietnam-Sweden trade values. They agreed to push parliamentary cooperation up a notch by promoting strategic projects between the 2 governments and people-to-people exchanges. Ms. Ngan’s visit is the first by a top Vietnamese legislator to Sweden in 24 years, since the visit by National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh in 1993. Sweden was the first western country to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam and is Vietnam’s largest non-refundable aid provider in northwestern Europe, with total aid of 3.5 billion USD.