PM Dung to visit Australia, New Zealand

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will make an official visit to Australia from March 17 to 18 and New Zealand from March 19 to 20.

The visits are made at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Russia, Vietnam boost diplomatic ties

Vietnam Ambassador to Russia Nguyen Thanh Son on March 12 discussed with First Vice Chairman of the Russian State Duma Ivan Melnikov and Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CRF) Genadi Zuganov measures to boost diplomatic ties.

Mr Melnikov spoke highly of traditional friendly relations and effective cooperation between the two countries, stressing effective cooperation between their parliaments.

The two countries’ legislative bodies have organised annual exchange visits and shared experience in law-making activities, he said, suggesting that they should further boost coordination to effectively implement cooperative projects, especially in energy, education, science and military fields.

Meanwhile, Mr Zuganov said the agreement on establishment of the Free Trade Area between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) which is expected to be signed this year will help promote bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation and expand relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and EEU political parties.

For his part, Ambassador Son stated that the Vietnamese Party and State have always supported the policy on fostering ties with Russia and hoped that bilateral cooperation be more effective to benefit their national construction and development.

He hoped that the CRF will support and create further opportunities for the Vietnamese community to study and work in the country

The State Duma leader said that Russia has listed delegates to the 132 IPU in Vietnam and planned sidelines meetings with Vietnamese National Assembly leaders to share information and experience in legislative work.

Russia is fully prepared to welcome Vietnamese leaders to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in early May, said the CRF leader.

Foreign affairs agencies review co-ordination

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, and the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations met in Hanoi on March 12 to review their co-ordination in foreign affairs throughout 2014 as well as to deploy key tasks for 2015.

At the meeting, the three agencies shared the opinion that in 2014, the regional and global situations continued to undergo complicated developments with profound impacts on the environment of peace, security and stability in Vietnam, creating both opportunities and challenges for the nation.

Over the past year, the three agencies collaborated closely and implemented key tasks in a positive and proactive manner, achieving important outcomes that contributed to the protection of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as maintaining a peaceful and stable environment while raising Vietnam’s position in the international arena.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh urged the three agencies to work closely together to make further contributions to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, while taking advantage of the favourable conditions of international integration and foreign resources to assist national development.

The Deputy PM also highlighted 2015 as a significant year in implementing the Resolution of the 11th Party National Congress and preparing for the 12th Party National Congress.

More attention should be paid to speeding up the international integration process of the nation, as well as boosting multilateral diplomacy to serve the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, diversification and international integration, he noted.

NA External Relations Committee debates human rights

Deputies to the National Assembly’s External Relations Committee on March 12 discussed stipulations in the 2013 Constitutions regarding the National Assembly (NA) approval on participating and liquidating international commitments to human rights and citizen’s fundamental rights and obligation.

They agreed on the importance of ensuring benefits for the people and law and order in the country.

They stressed the need to clarify fundamental treaties on human rights and citizen’s rights and obligations to delineate the authority between the National Assembly, the President and the Prime Minister in ratifying the treaties.

Preparations discussed for ASEAN Summit

The Joint Preparatory Meeting (JPM) and related meetings convened from March 9-13 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in preparation for the upcoming 26th ASEAN Summit.

The meeting drew the participation of senior officials from the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), ASEAN Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (SEOM), Senior Officials’ Committee for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting (SOCA), and ASEAN Secretariat.

A Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, also attended the event.

During the meetings, preparations for the 26th ASEAN Summit to be held in late April were discussed, focusing on important topics and documents to be addressed during the summit.

Other priorities included progress on the ASEAN Economic Community formation in 2015 and its targets as well as ways to accelerate the finalisation of the ASEAN Community’s Post 2015 Vision ahead of the 27th ASEAN Summit in November.

Delegates also discussed measures to develop external affairs, such upgrading the relationship with the US to a strategic partnership; improve the effectiveness of the ASEAN Secretariat and other bodies; and secure the ASEAN’s central role in the emerging regional structure

They agreed to continue promoting the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and fostering the future Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC).-

President welcomes Cuban Prosecutor General

State President Truong Tan Sang hosted a reception for Cuban Prosecutor General Dario Delgado Cura on March 12, during which he suggested the exchange of experience to help with the nation-building process.

He referred to the sharing of experience in Party building and the combat against corruption and crimes, as will the exchange of delegations between the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam and Cuba.

The State leader expressed his delight at the growing traditional friendship between the two countries, affirming that Vietnam always considers Cuba’s achievements as its own success and vice versa.

Delgado told the President that his working session with Vietnam’s Supreme People’s Procuracy reviewed signed agreements and mapped out plans to enhance bilateral partnership in the future.

He also stressed the significance of material and spiritual support that the Party, State and people of Vietnam have given to Cuba over the past 50 years as well as the country’s coordination at regional and international forums.

Vietnam, Slovakia enhance judicial cooperation

Vietnam and Slovakia should intensify the sharing of experience in legal system consolidation and law enforcement and foster cooperation in law education and training, said National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu.

At his meeting with visiting Slovak Minister of Justice Tomas Borec in Hanoi on March 12, Vice Chairman Luu said the outcomes of the Minister’s talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ha Hung Cuong will help enhance bilateral collaboration in judicial affairs, and cement the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Slovakia.

Vietnam looks forward to maintaining coordination with Hungary at regional and international forums, he said, pledging to exert every effort to nurture the ties.

The Slovak Minister told the host that his visit aimed to promote coordination between the two Justice Ministries, particularly in exchanging information about judicial reforms and legal document drafting.

Minister Borec highly valued Vietnam’s enforcement of the 2013 Constitution as a foundation for the judicial reform and delivered his country’s willingness to share experience in this work and in legal support service provision.

Vice President meets with Yangon Region leader

As part of her visit to Myanmar , Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met with Yangon Region Chief Minister U Myint Swe on March 12 to enhance ties between the city and Vietnam .

The Myanmar official affirmed that his country—and Yangon in particular—is eager to strengthen the bilateral relations as well as those with the region and with Ho Chi Minh City, saying that the Vice President’s visit will contribute to forging links in a number of fields.

He spoke of Vietnam ’s successful investment projects in Yangon and promised to facilitate Vietnamese business operations and the country’s trade promotion activities.

For her part, the Vietnamese guest congratulated Yangon and its residents on their socio-economic development achievements while hailing the effective recent trade cooperation between HCM City and Yangon , with 120 million USD worth of commodities traded, or 25 percent of the total trade value.

She suggested municipal authorities create favourable conditions for Vietnam ’s investment projects in the locality, including the construction of a shopping centre funded by the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group.

Doan also expressed her hope that Yangon will continue to enhance trade and investment cooperation with HCM City and assist in the organisation of trade, service and tourism fairs in Yangon in May this year.

During her same-day meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Myanmar , the Vice President urged the diplomatic agency’s officials and staff to enhance their efforts and asked overseas Vietnamese nationals to abide by the host country’s laws and make active contributions to the country’s development.

During her visit to Yangon, the Vice President also met with representatives of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Myanmar (AVIM) and outstanding enterprises operating in the city before departing Myanmar for Sendai, Japan to attend the 3 rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Agriculture ministry boosts cooperation with Wakayama

A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama was signed on March 11.

The MoU, signed after a meeting between MARD Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh and Wakayama governor Yoshinobu Nisaka in Hanoi, focuses on three sectors – production, processing and technology transfer in agriculture; workforce development; and trade.

Doanh expressed his hope that Wakayama will enhance technology transfer in production, preservation, and processing of agro-and aqua-products, promote trade, and send experts to assist Vietnam’s coastal provinces to increase the added value of their products.

Doanh encouraged Wakayaman and Japanese enterprises in general to invest in Vietnam’s crop and animal livestock, processing, post-harvest technology and high-tech farming.

For his part, Nisaka said the numerous enterprises accompanying him on his trip hope to find cooperation and investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Wakayama has a developed farming and fishery economy and recently assisted the central coastal province of Binh Dinh in fishing techniques and tuna preservation, increasing the income of local fishermen.

Kazakhstan introduces new economic policy

Kazakhstan Ambassador to Vietnam, Beketzhan Zhumakhanov, summarised his country’s major new economic policy at a seminar in Hanoi on March 12.

The target of the policy, named ‘Nurly Zhol’ (The Path to the Future), is to transform Kazakhstan into one of the five fastest-growing countries in Asia, the diplomat explained, adding that the nation also has ambitions of joining the top 50 most competitive countries in the world.

The policy covers developing transport and industrial infrastructure, energy, modernising public housing service infrastructure, supplying clean water and supporting small-and medium-sized enterprises, he noted.

The efforts will help Kazakhstan to improve the local living standards and increase the quality of social welfare policies, he said.

He proposed that Vietnam and Kazakhstan promote exchanges in the fields of culture, education, science and health.

The Ambassador said he welcomes all Vietnamese students who want to pursue higher education in Kazakhstan , adding that this will open up sustainable opportunities for the strengthening of the two nation’s cooperation in various areas.

Nguyen Quang Thuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said Kazakhstan is a potential country which has an important strategic position in the middle of Asia and the Asia-Europe continents.

The two countries have coordinated in wide-ranging fields such as politics, economics and culture since the establishment of diplomatic relations 20 years ago, he said.

Their bilateral trade currently tops 100 million USD per year.

A free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan is expected to open new doors for the two nations as they enhance their comprehensive cooperative ties across many sectors, he added.

Deputy PM talks trade expansion with Hungarian official

Trade between Vietnam and Hungary remains below potential and both sides need to seek new cooperative projects in their fields of strength, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has said.

He made the remarks at his reception for Secretary of State at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mikola István in Hanoi on March 12.

The Deputy PM suggested the implementation of signed agreements and memoranda of understanding and the development of new projects on such advantageous fields as science-technology, agriculture, and environmental protection.

He also mentioned the early signing of agreements involving banking and animal and plant quarantine.

The Deputy PM attributed a rise in two-way trade in 2014 to joint efforts by both sides, in particular the Governments and businesses, and reasserted that Hungary is one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners.

Secretary of State at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mikola István is in Vietnam for the sixth meeting of the Vietnam-Hungary Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation as Chairman of the Hungarian sub-committee.

He underscored Vietnam’s role in ASEAN, expecting the country to help Hungary broaden ties with other regional nations.

He also proposed the Vietnamese Government create more favourable conditions to facilitate Hungarian enterprises’ operations in Vietnam.

President Sang welcomes Japanese farming support

President Truong Tan Sang yesterday hosted a reception for the governor of Japan's Wakayama Prefecture, Yoshinobu Nisaka, in Ha Noi, saying that Japan's experiences in agricultural development would greatly benefit Viet Nam.

The governor was on a visit to explore c-ooperative opportunities in agriculture and aquaculture between Wakayama and several localities in Viet Nam.

President Sang hailed the visit as an example of the growth of the strategic partnership.

Sang believed that Japan's advanced technology in agriculture and aquaculture could help Viet Nam improve the competitiveness of its products.

He pledged to create the best possible conditions for Japanese businesses to invest in Viet Nam.

At a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, Yoshinobu said his prefecture was strong in agriculture and seafood development, adding that he would discuss opportunities with authorities in the central and northern provinces of Nghe An, Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Binh Dinh.

Deputy PM Hai spoke highly of the expanding co-operation between the Japanese prefecture, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and several Vietnamese provinces.

He asked Yoshinobu to send experts to help Viet Nam with fishing, preserving and processing high-quality aquatic products.

Governor Yoshinobu said he hoped the Vietnamese Government would create the best conditions for the two sides to reach new deals in agriculture, tourism, and trade, citing as example the import of agricultural material from Viet Nam and the transfer of processing technology and production models.

Also on the same day, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development signed a cooperation agreement with the governor.

Deputy Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said Wakayama, an advanced region for agricultural development, could help Viet Nam improve the quality of its products and storages.

The Agricultural Ministry and Wakayama prefecture will focus on deals in processing, storage, human resources, agricultural trade and aquaculture.

Viet Nam hopes Wakayama will send experts to advise coastal provinces such as Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa on how to improve the technical aspects of tuna fishing. 

VNA/VOV/NhanDan