PM to head for ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend a summit in New Delhi on December 20-21 to mark 20 years of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership.  

PM Nguyen Tan Dung (fourth from left) joined Indian and other ASEAN leaders at the 9th ASEAN-India summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2011. (Photo: VOV)

Luong Thanh Nghi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the PM’s trip at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on December 13.

Themed “ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity”, the summit will chart the future direction of the relations between the two sides.

Leaders of India and ASEAN are expected to adopt a declaration of vision to upgrade the existing dialogue partnership to the strategic partnership.

The Vietnamese delegation’s participation in the summit shows the country’s desires to promote the substantial and productive ASEAN-India ties, focusing on economic, trade, investment and science and technology cooperation, as well as fostering regional connectivity and assisting ASEAN to build its community, said Nghi.

Central Military Commission convenes year-end meeting

The Central Military Commission (CMC) convened its year-end meeting in Hanoi on December 13 under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also secretary of the commission.

Also attending the meeting were President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The meeting defined a resolution to lead the implementation of military and defence tasks, and the building of the Military Party Committee in 2013. It also reviewed CMC’s 2012 leadership and direction.

It issued resolutions on developing military staff, future inspection and training, and the scientific, technological and environmental work in the 2012-2020 period and subsequent years.

The meeting adopted regulation amendments and supplements on the role of personnel in the Vietnam People’s Army and a project to restructure and develop military businesses in the 2011-2015 period.

The CMC said it will continue to implement Party building measures under the Resolution of the Party Central Committee’s 4th meeting, and further improve the leadership and combative strength of Party committees and organisations, as well as the quality of Party officials and members in 2013.

Haiti PM to visit Vietnam

Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti Laurent Salvador Lamothe will pay an official visit to Vietnam from December 16-18.

The visit is made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam regrets DPRK satellite launch

Vietnam regrets the December 12 launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and calls on the sides to show restraint and take responsible actions.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi made the statement in Hanoi on December 13 when answering reporters’ question on Vietnam’s reaction to DPRK’s launch of the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite.

Vietnam’s stance was clearly stated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman on December 5, Nghi affirmed.

The concerned parties should obey the United Nations Security Council relevant resolutions to maintain peace and stability in the region, he added.

Vietnam, US amend air transport agreement

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang and the United States Ambassador to Vietnam, David Shear, signed an agreement on the amendments to the Vietnam-US Bilateral Air Transport Agreement.

The agreement was officially signed in 2003. It was amended in 2010, under which the two sides agreed that the 2003 version would remain in effect until March 31, 2012.

The new amendment extends the validity of the 2003 agreement indefinitely. It will come into effect after both sides conclude the exchange of diplomatic notes.

Once completed, the amended agreement will create a legal basis to open up opportunities to strengthen civil aviation cooperation between the two countries. It is particularly relevant to the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, which is preparing to launch a direct route that will link Vietnam and the US. It will contribute to boosting bilateral ties between the two countries in the time to come.

Vietnam, Mexico exchange publication experience

A delegation from the Communist Review, the publication of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, visited Mexico from December 10-12 to exchange publication and popularisation experience with Mexican political parties.

During the working visit, the delegation, led by Editor-in-Chief Vu Van Phuc, attended working sessions with leaders of the Central Editorial Committee under the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the magazines of the PRI and the Party of Democratic Revolution, and Mexico’s national news agency NOTIMEX.

At the meetings, the sides highlighted the role of the mass media, including magazines and newspapers of political parties, and expressed their wish to establish bilateral cooperation through experience sharing and exchanges of visits, staff and information. They also discussed the possibilities of setting up links between their websites, as well as of publishing articles and speeches of Party leaders from the other country in their publications and magazines.

The Vietnamese delegation attended a ceremony to mark the 22 nd anniversary of the Mexican Workers’ Party (PT), met with its National Coordinator, Alberto Anaya Guitiererez, and paid tribute to the President Ho Chi Minh Monument.

The delegation left Mexico for Nicaragua on December 12.

VNN/VOV/VNA