Fostering ties with strategic, traditional partners

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong led a high-ranking delegation to visit Russia and Belarus from November 23-28 at the invitations of Russian President V. Putin and Belarusian President A. Lukashenko.

Russian President V. Putin welcomes Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong - Photo: VNA

During his stay in Russia from November 23-26, the Party chief held talks with President Putin, met with PM Dmitry Medvedev, Chairwoman of the Upper House Valentina Matvienko, Acting Chairman of the Lower House Ivan Melnikov, Russian war veterans and experts who worked in Viet Nam and representatives of the Russian-Viet Nam Friendship Association.

During talks with President Putin, both sides extolled the bilateral cooperation in recent years, the progress of major projects between the two countries, and compared notes on measures to boost bilateral cooperation in various areas as well as regional and global issues of shared concern.

Their discussions also focused on the Vietnamese community in Russia and people-to-people exchange. They expressed their desire for enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership, thus contributing to regional and global peace and prosperity.

 Meeting with the Vietnamese delegation, PM Medvedev described Trong’s visit as a driving force for elevating the Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and providing an opportunity for both nations to consolidate political trust, bilateral cooperation and relations between the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) and the ruling United Russia Party.

The two leaders agreed to raise two-way trade volume to US$7 billion by 2015 and US$10 billion by 2020. Russia pledged to speed up free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Viet Nam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Russian PM Medvedev said Russia will back Viet Nam’s bid for membership at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2016-2018 tenure and non-permanent membership at the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.  

Concerning the East Sea issue, the two leaders emphasized the need to resolve maritime disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) toward finalizing a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

The two countries issued a Joint Statement to affirm their resolve of further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and signed nine cooperation agreements.

In Belarus, Party leader Trong and President A.Lukashenko agreed to boost political dialogues at all levels regarding bilateral issues as well as regional and international matters of mutual concerns.

They reached a consensus on paving the way for accelerating cooperation in economy, trade, investment, machinery manufacturing, agriculture, petrochemical technology, light industry, information technology, electronics, mining and other fields.

The two sides were pleased with the negotiating process of a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, consenting to work harder for the signing in early 2015.

They agreed to study the possibility of launching a direct flight route between the two countries and granting visa exemption for short business trips.

Belarus supports the settlement of territorial disputes, including that in the East Sea, by peaceful means, and the early establishment of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea to safeguard maritime safety and security in the sea area in compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

The talks between State President Truong Tan Sang and Hungarian Ader János - Photo: VNA

State President Truong Tan Sang on November 27 held talks with Hungary’s President Ader Janos on the occasion of the Hungarian President and his spouse’s official visit to Viet Nam from 26-29.

The two leaders agreed to jointly organize activities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the diplomatic ties by 2015 as well as launching effectively the Viet Nam-Hungary Joint Committee on Economic cooperation and facilitating the two sides’ businesses to seek cooperation in construction, infrastructure, food processing, pharmacy, urban planning, environmental protection and water management.

As a member of the European Union, Hungary advocates the relations between Viet Nam and the EU, the ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), accelerates the EU-Viet Nam free trade agreement negotiations and encourages the EU to recognize Viet Nam as a full market economy, asserted the Hungarian President.

The two sides lauded the close and effective cooperation at international forums and exchanged issues of international and regional concerns, including the East Sea issue.

They consented that all disputes must be dealt with by peaceful measures and based on international law, especially the United Nations on the Law of the Sea 1982, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperative documents in fields of agriculture, technology, telecommunication and stock.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-ocha - Photo: VGP

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and PM Prayut Chan-ocha of Thailand agreed to lift up the two-way trade value between the two countries to US$15 billion by 2020, during their talks in Ha Noi on November 27.

Viet Nam appreciates Thailand’s efforts in its role as the coordinator for ASEAN-China relations, which have contributed to maintaining the bloc’s solidarity and common voice in the East Sea issue.

Both sides agreed to continue working together to settle disputes through peaceful measures in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and beef up negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

 Active at multilateral forums

State President Truong Tan Sang attended the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing, China from November 9-11 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

State President Truong Tan Sang at the APEC CEO Summit 2014

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh and Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang accompanied State President Sang and attended the Foreign and Economic Ministerial Meeting on November 7-8.

State President Sang stressed that Viet Nam is set to become a key link in an expansive economic network, including 21 APEC member economies as the country is engaging in negotiations on 15 free trade deals through 2020.

Viet Nam, said State President Sang fully supports the measures serving to fulfill the Bali commitments and Bogor goals and the facilitation and liberalization of trade and investment.

The State President called for stronger efforts to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, devise a post-2015 development agenda and address global challenges to guarantee effective regional connections.

APEC should intensify economic and technical cooperation while joining and supporting regional initiatives to boost interconnections, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Greater Mekong Subregion, he said.

On the sidelines of the meeting, State President Sang met with APEC leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the Presidents of Indonesia, the US, the Philippines, Chile, Peru, Russia, the Republic of Korea, Brunei, Japan, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung at the 25th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar - Photo: VGP

Meanwhile, PM Nguyen Tan Dung attended the 25th ASEAN Summit in Nay pyi daw, Myanmar from November 12-13.

Speaking at the summit, PM Dung highlighted the bloc’s achievements in ensuring regional peace, security and stability. He asked for further efforts to establishing the community to the set targets while promoting the bloc’s responsibility in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.

ASEAN should pay special attention to the increase in security challenges, particularly non-traditional challenges, like natural disasters, diseases, climate change, water source security, maritime security, terrorism and trans-national crimes, PM Dung suggested.

He expressed his concern about the situation in the East Sea when large-scale activities attempting to alter the status quo of rocks and rocky islands went on.

PM Dung urged ASEAN to be more active and responsible in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, continuing to request relevant sides to respect and implement strictly the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), resolve disputes through peaceful means and follow international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

ASEAN should fully implement agreed contents, especially early specified measures and mechanisms to ensure the DOC implementation, as well as pushing for practical negotiations for an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct.

Wrapping the ASEAN-25, the leaders issued the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on the ASEAN Community’s vision after 2015, laying a foundation for developing the community in the 2016-2025 period.

On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Dung met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US President Barack Obama, Russian PM Medvedev, Australian PM Tony Abbott.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung, Lao PM Thongsinh Thammavong and Cambodian PM Hun Sen on November 25 in Vientiane, Laos, co-chaired the 8th Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam (CLV) Summit to review the implementation of the Master plan for socio-economic development of the CLV Development Area until 2020 and the memorandum of understanding on special preferential policies for the Area.

The Summit approved the initiative raised by the Vietnamese PM in upgrading and expanding the cooperative framework and assigning the CLV Joint Coordination Committee to build a project on economic connectivity among the three countries and submit it at the next CLV Summit.

Other specific measures were reached to improve cooperative efficiency including the listing of prioritized projects in the Development Triangle Area; specific preferential policies for the Area; building of tourism development plan for the Area; perfection of the rubber development plan; security and diplomatic cooperation, particularly in the prevention of human and drug trafficking, anti-transnational crime, response to infectious diseases and natural disaster, unexploded ordnance clearance, environmental protection and management of natural resources.  

VGP