Security links with Thailand ratified

Viet Nam and Thailand agreed to boost security co-operation against transnational crime at the 6th meeting of the Viet Nam-Thailand joint working in central Da Nang City yesterday, August 7.

 Lieutenant General To Lam, Viet Nam's Deputy Minister of Public Security, said the meeting discussed how to tackle crime in the 2014-16 period and prepare for the Viet Nam-Thailand Security Vision.

Thailand's Security Council general secretary Panadorn Pattanatabut pledged further co-operation in the fight against money laundering, cyber crime, transnational crime, human and drug trafficking, terrorism and illegal emigration.

The 7th meeting of the group will be held in Thailand next year.

Strong co-operation with S Africa priority

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has affirmed that South Africa is a traditional friend and one of the leading partners of Viet Nam in Africa.

Minh made the statement during talks with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashabane on Tuesday during his two-day visit to the country.

He congratulated the South African people for the significant achievements they have reaped under the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), placing the country on the top of the continent in various fields, including economics, culture, science and technology, and education.

Minister Maite Nkoana Mashabane described Minh's visit as new momentum for further fostering the two countries' relations.

She confirmed that South Africa highly values Viet Nam's role in the region and at international forums, expressing hope that Viet Nam will serve as a bridge linking the South Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ministers reached consensus on priority areas and measures to promote co-operation in trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, defence, tourism and environment, striving to raise two-way trade to more than US$1 billion in the coming years.

Both sides shared a determination to speed up negotiations for the signing of an agreement on double taxation avoidance and an agreement on investment encouragement and protection, and for creating a favourable legal framework for the businesses of both countries.

They also agreed on the expansion of a tripartite co-operation model that has been effectively implemented in Guinea Conakry and other African countries.

The African side spoke highly of Viet Nam 's efforts and expressed a desire to continue strengthening co-operation with the Southeast Asian nation in combating the illegal transport and trading of wild animals and related products.

The same day, Minh paid a courtesy call to South African President Jacob Zuma and met with South African Minister of Industry and Trade Rob Davies and co-chaired a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of Vietnam-South Africa diplomatic ties in Pretoria.

New Zealand wants more VN students

The New Zealand government hopes to see more Vietnamese students coming to the country to study, heard an event held to promote educational links between the two countries in HCM City yesterday.

Jerry Materparae, New Zealand governor general, highlighted the value of a New Zealand education and the role that education plays in building relationships between countries.

Last year more than 2,000 Vietnamese studied in New Zealand, an increase of more than 90 per cent since 2009.     

Viet Nam hopes for more WB help

Viet Nam hopes to receive more financial and technical support from the World Bank (WB) to help the country successfully implement its economic reform programme, particularly the restructure of the financial and credit system.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh made the statement yesterday while receiving WB Country Director for Viet Nam Victoria Kwakwa.

He stressed that the Vietnamese Government was strongly implementing issues related to economic restructuring, focusing on improving public investment, restructuring the finance and banking sector, and reforming State-owned businesses.

The WB has helped Viet Nam increase its State management and supervision over State-owned businesses, as well as enhance its ability to draft legal documents to help better manage State businesses and corporations in various areas, he said.

Ninh applauded the WB's policy consultancy and financial resources support for Viet Nam thus far.

For her part, Kwakwa affirmed that the WB supported programmes currently being implemented by the Vietnamese Government and would continue to provide financial support to help speed up this process.

PM farewells Cuban ambassador

Viet Nam and Cuba should increase co-operation in economy, trade and investment, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

While receiving outgoing Cuban Ambassador Fredesman Turro Gonzalez yesterday (Aug 7), Dung asked Cuba to support the bids of Vietnamese enterprises seeking opportunities in the Latin American country, particularly in the fields of telecommunication, agriculture and infrastructure projects.

He spoke highly of the Cuban diplomat's contributions to boosting the multifaceted ties between the two countries.

For his part, Gonzalez pledged to further contribute to friendly and co-operative relations between Cuba and Viet Nam in any position he may hold in the future.

Veterans' business association holds first congress in Ha Noi

The Viet Nam Veterans Business Association (VVBA) yesterday, Aug 7, held its first congress with the participation of 260 delegates representing more than 5,000 war veteran entrepreneurs nationwide.

Opening the event, Le Thanh Tam, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Veterans Association Central Committee, stated that the VVBA is a voluntary socio-professional association gathering war veterans who are now involved in business activities in the country. The goal of the association is to promote economic development in general, while supporting its members in their business operations, he said.

Addressing the event, President Truong Tan Sang said that under the doi moi (renewal) policy, many war veterans started their own businesses and reaped success, thus not only becoming rich themselves but also contributing to poverty reduction and the country's development.

The establishment of the VVBA marks an important event for the socio-economic life of the war veterans, he said, adding that the association should also take care of less fortunate war invalids and veterans.

The president stressed that the association should also perform the task of educating its members on the policies of the Party and State, while protecting the legitimate rights of its members and gaining victory on the "economic battlefield".

ASEAN commits to strengthening cooperation with UN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attaches great importance to its cooperation with the United Nations (UN) to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN made the statement at the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on August 6 in New York, which discussed cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organisations in maintaining international peace and security.

Trung said in the face of enormous changes and emerging paradigms in international peace and security, it is critical to strengthen a regional-global cooperation and coordination.

During his speech, Trung underlined the active role played by regional organisations over the world in the maintenance of peace and security together with the promotion of socio-economic development.

The Ambassador said that ASEAN-UN cooperation has been institutionalised with the adoption of a Comprehensive Partnership. Under this framework, periodic ASEAN-UN interactions at the highest levels have been established, including ASEAN-UN Summits and annual meetings between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the President of the General Assembly (GA) and the UN Secretary General.

Additionally, ASEAN member states have actively and constructively contributed to the work of the UN in the field of peace and security, Trung said.

He added that they have been authoring or taking part in negotiations of important GA resolutions on peace and security; becoming members and chairing groups within the framework of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and contributing peacekeepers in the UN Peacekeeping missions.

On the basis of fine developing relations between the two sides, the ASEAN and UN Secretariats had regular bilateral exchanges on peace- and security-related issues such counter-terrorism and conflict prevention through organising workshops and training courses.

Ambassador Trung affirmed that the growing ASEAN-UN cooperation has been beneficial to international and regional peace and security, and the building of the ASEAN Political-Security Community.

It also helped the two sides utilised their expertise and niche capacity, thus contributing to regional capacity building, he said.

According to the Ambassador, ASEAN’s successes in the region proved that in order to promote peace and security, it needs to enhance dialogue and mutual respect and conform to international laws, including solving all disputes in a peaceful manner.

Trung reiterated the strong commitment of ASEAN to further broadening and deepening cooperation with the UN, especially in maintaining international and regional peace and security.

To that end, ASEAN stands ready to work closely with the UN and other member states to rid the world of the scourges of war and conflict, he concluded.

Vietnamese, RoK officials meet to boost ties

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have discussed concrete measures to foster future bilateral ties, especially in politics, diplomacy, investment, trade, socio-culture, energy, free trade agreement and green growth.

The two sides made the discussion during the 2 nd Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogue on diplomacy, security and defence at deputy foreign minister level held in Seoul on August 6.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son and his RoK counterpart Kim Kyou-hyun affirmed that the two foreign ministries and relevant agencies will continue to work closely in all fields to further deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The two sides informed each other of their countries’ foreign policy and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, including those related to the Korean Peninsula and the East Sea.

They reached the consensus on making efforts to contribute to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Both sides also agreed to continue coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and mechanisms in the framework of ASEAN-RoK cooperation.

On the occasion, Deputy FM Son paid a courtesy visit to RoK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.

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