(sav.gov.vn) - During the working visit to Greece from November 20 to November 24, the delegation of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam, led by Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung, attended a courtesy meeting with the leadership of the Hellenic Court of Audit, held professional experience-sharing sessions with the Court, and visited the Embassy of Viet Nam in Greece.
Courtesy Meeting with the Hellenic Court of Audit
At the courtesy meeting, the delegation from the Hellenic Court of Audit was represented by Ms. Vlachaki Maria Vice President; Mr. Konstantinos Efentakis, Director General, Judge; Ms. Anna Papapanagiotou, Director General, Judge; Ms. Styliani Tori, Director General, Judge Rapporteur; Ms. Valentine Diamantopoulou, Director General of Public Relations, Europe and International Affairs; Mr. Athanassios Fragkos, Judge, Public Relations, Europe and International Affairs Division.
Attending the meeting from the SAV’s side were Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung; Mr. Pham Van Hoc, Director General of Specialized Audit Department No. Ia; Mr. Ngo Minh Kiem, Director General of Regional Audit Office No. I; Mr. Duong Quang Chinh, Director General of SAV Regional Audit Office No. II; Mr. Nguyen Duc Sy, Director General of Regional Audit Office V; Ms. Lang Trinh Mai Huong, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department; Mr. Tran Tri Thanh, Deputy Director General of the General Affairs Department; Mr. Tran Duc Lam, Deputy Director General of the Personnel Department, etc.
The representative of the Embassy of Viet Nam in Greece, Ms. Pham Bich Thuy, also participated in the meeting.
At the meeting, Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung expressed gratitude for the warm welcome from the Hellenic Court of Audit. She expressed pleasure at the development of bilateral relations between the two countries and hoped that both sides would further strengthen cooperation in not only bilateral but also multilateral cooperation forums, enhance economic development, trade exchanges, and particularly increase exports between the two nations.
Reflecting on key aspects of the current economic and social situation and the bilateral relationship, Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung suggested that in the near future, both sides increase exchange of high-level delegations and expert groups, share audit expertise, and cooperate in audit fields where both SAIs excel. She emphasized fostering stronger, more effective and practical bilateral relations.
Vice President Vlachaki Maria congratulated the diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Greece in recent years and expressed a desire for even stronger ties between the two nations, as well as the two audit institutions.
Experience-sharing session on audit profession
Following the courtesy meeting, Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung and Vice President Vlachaki Maria co-chaired a knowledge-sharing ssession on auditing emerging issues with significant impacts on society and the economy, especially audit of environmental issues, climate change, forest protection, and sustainable development goals.
The representative from the Hellenic Court of Audit highlighted its role and responsibility in ensuring accountability in the public sector. As both the supreme administrative court and the audit office of Greece, the Hellenic Court of Audit conducts legality audits of all public contracts valued over 300,000 euros before they are signed; audits of financial statements of the State and other public sector organizations; performance audits; and audits evaluating the effectiveness of internal control systems in public bodies.
The presentation also detailed environmental audits related to climate change and forest protection, as well as other cases of environmental audits in Greece.
The SAV representative presented on “SAV’s experience in environmental audit related to climate change and forest protection.” The presentation, which was informed by the global situation of climate change and its impacts on Viet Nam, emphasized the importance of environmental auditing and the role of SAV in carrying out such audits.
Through audit results, SAV regularly issues warnings about the risks of environmental pollution and proposes feasible solutions to address issues and improve management effectiveness in environmental management and climate change response.
Key lessons learned from these audits include developing a legal framework for environmental protection and environmental auditing, selecting audit topics, organizing environmental audits, integrating international practices, and utilizing information technology in environmental auditing.
At the discussion, delegates from both institutions actively exchanged best practices and methods in auditing emerging issues with large social and economic impacts, particularly environmental auditing, climate change, forest protection, and sustainable development.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung and Vice President Vlachaki Maria commended the quality of the papers, the valuable experience shared, and the discussions held. They affirmed that the success of the dialogue would serve as an important foundation for future professional exchange and cooperation between the two audit institutions.
Visit to the Embassy of Viet Nam in Greece
Within the same day, the SAV delegation also paid a working visit to the Embassy of Viet Nam in Greece.
Receiving the delegation, Ms. Pham Bich Thuy, a representative of the Embassy, updated the delegation on Greece’s current economic and political situation and recent developments in the bilateral relationship between Viet Nam and Greece.
The Honorary Consul of Greece in Athens also participated in the meeting, sharing the efforts of Greek businesses to promote cooperation between Viet Nam and Greece.
Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung shared updates on the development of SAV, including achievements over the 30 years of its establishment and growth. She also emphasized the increasing trust the National Assembly, Government, and people place in the results of the SAV audits, which have contributed significantly to the transparency of the national financial system.
During the meeting, Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung also praised the positive results of cooperation between Viet Nam and Greece and congratulated the Embassy’s efforts in strengthening the excellent relationship between the two countries.