VN urges joint action on mines

Viet Nam and India co-chaired the first meeting of the Asian Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) Experts' Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action (EWG on HMA) in Ha Noi yesterday, June 18.

Addressing the event, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh said many countries in the region had been affected by bombs and mines left over from wars, calling for teamwork to handle the issue.

Vinh said Viet Nam was one of the countries most affected by unexploded bombs and mines left over from times of conflict. The Viet Nam People's Army was doing its utmost to remove the dangers.

He said the Government backed collaboration among regional countries and others in promoting action on mines, saying that the ADMM event enabled nations to share experience and support.

An action plan was presented at the event for a working group to act on between 2014 and 2017.

The Experts' Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action (EWG on HMA) was established under Viet Nam's initiative at the second ADMM+ in Brunei in 2013.

Viet Nam, Laos boost co-operation

Viet Nam and Laos will continue to promote bilateral in trade, education and human resources development throughout the rest of the year.

Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Truong Quang Khanh receives visiting Deputy Director of the General Logistics and Technique Department under the Lao People's Army Major General Esamay Luangvanxay.

They agreed on this strategy at a meeting of the Viet Nam-Laos co-operation subcommittee in Ha Noi on June 17 to review its operations over the past six months and discuss the future.

The two sides will continue exchanges of delegations in various forms and co-ordinate more in the fight against transnational crimes, especially cross-border drug trafficking.

In economic co-operation, they will work together to review Vietnamese projects in Laos to swiftly solve problems, while boosting connections in agriculture and rural development, especially irrigation projects.

They also agreed to improve the quality and effectiveness of their co-operation in education and human resources development for the 2011-20 period, as well as personnel training between the two countries.

So far this year, Viet Nam had invested about US$5 billion in Laos, ranking third among foreign investors in the landlocked country, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The same day, Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Truong Quang Khanh, received visiting Deputy Director of the General Logistics and Technique Department under the Lao People's Army Major General Esamay Luangvanxay.

The host congratulated Laos on its formation of the general department, saying that this represented great progress in the development of its army.

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence wass willing to support its Lao counterpart to develop the department, Khanh stressed, adding that the ministry would also work with the Lao army to equip automobiles with diesel engines and set up an explosives analysis centre.

The Lao guest thanked Viet Nam for her goodwill and support, and expressed his hope that the Viet Nam People's Army would continue to assist his country in national defence.

India, Vietnam look towards stronger defence ties

A senior Indian official has stated that her country will come up with a detailed plan to assist the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, including the building of a hi-speed patrol ship for Vietnam.

Joint Secretary of the International Cooperation under the Indian Defence Ministry Smita Nagaraj, who is in Vietnam to attend the second meeting of the Vietnam-India defence cooperation group, made the statement while meeting with Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh in Hanoi on June 18.

India values the development of ties with Vietnam, its top trustworthy partner in Southeast Asia, especially in defence, she said.

Beyond mutual support in defence industry, India and Vietnam will produce military equipment together, for their own and the Southeast Asian region, she added.

Vinh, for his part, said he is pleased with the progress of bilateral defence coordination, especially between air and naval forces, which is on the right track set at their defence dialogue last year.

He expressed his belief that in the time to come, the two sides will work harder to foster their ties, especially in defence industry.

Hanoi, French city tighten relations

Hanoi and Toulouse city of France will enhance cooperation in a wide range of areas from cultural exchange to conservation of old quarter heritages, sustainable urban development, training and economics.

An agreement to this effect was recently signed between Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc and Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc.

Under the agreement, in the 2014-2020 period, the two sides will expand cooperation to other fields, including arts, culture and archaeology.

In the economic field, the two cities will create favourable conditions for their businesses to promote investment activities in aviation, digital technology, transport, agriculture, food and health.

Toulouse will be responsible for studying a possibility of developing ties between Vietnamese and French cities in the fields of economics, technology and socio-culture. Meanwhile, Hanoi will bridge relations between Toulouse and other cities in Asia.

The two cities will study a possibility of joining events in their networks, Europe’s cooperation programmes or decentralised cooperation projects in the above-mentioned period.

Hanoi and Toulouse have so far cooperated in implementing a number of projects, bringing great benefits to the community. Among those is an urban axis linking Ton Duc Thang and Nguyen Trai streets designed by Toulouse ’s urban planning agency.

Over the past 18 years, the two cities have effectively coordinated in preserving and promoting the values of their old quarter heritages.

Netherlands backs Mekong region

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his visiting Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on June 17, co-chaired a high-level conference in Ha Noi to discuss their co-ordination in the comprehensive development of Viet Nam's Mekong Delta region.

The conference aimed to define major challenges and development prospects of the region, while reaffirming Viet Nam's priorities in developing the region in a comprehensive and sustainable manner with support from international donors.

The Mekong Delta contributes over half of the country's rice output, making the country one of the world's top exporters of the grain. It also plays an important role in conserving global biological diversity by providing habitat for many species of migrant birds and fish.

However, the area is burdened by pressure sparked by climate change and unsustainable socio-economic development.

Addressing the event, Dung said climate change had hit Viet Nam hard and would continue its devastating course in the future, posing a massive challenge to the country's socio-economic development.

Viet Nam highly valued the Netherlands' support in the joint study of the "Mekong Delta Plan", which was part of their bilateral co-operation work to adapt to climate change, he stated.

The findings of the study as well as other recommendations served as a basis for Viet Nam to review and adjust its development orientations and plans for the strategic region, said Dung.

He noted that Viet Nam had drawn up five major policies in response to climate change and the impacts of socio-economic development in the region in order to take advantage of its potential and advantages.

Viet Nam had also sought ways to upgrade regional infrastructure, speed up poverty reduction and narrow the social development gap among regional localities, he added.

Dung also thanked the Dutch Government as well as development partners for their assistance over the years, saying the Vietnamese Government was committed to using ODA in an effective manner while creating favourable conditions for donors to implement projects in the Mekong Delta region.

For his part, the Dutch PM held that similarities in low terrain and high-density populations meant that, his country and the Mekong Delta region were facing the same challenges posed by rising sea levels, changing currents and salinisation.

He said that it was necessary to design a clear strategy coupled with well-established institutions and organisations in order to succeed in a long-term for the Mekong Delta.

Learning from each other was a way to become stronger and working together could enable both sides to help the Mekong Delta region grow sustainably, Rutte said.

He added that the Netherlands was willing to share its experience with Viet Nam and learn from the country as well as residents in other delta regions.

The conference also drew the participation of World Bank Country Director in Viet Nam Victoria Kwakwa, Asian Development Bank Country Director Tomoyiki Kimura, United Nations Co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta and representatives from foreign embassies and international organisations.

Development partners pledged to continue their long-term co-ordination with Viet Nam for the sustainable development of the region.

A Vietnamese-Dutch energy forum was held yesterday as part of the Dutch Prime Minister's visit to Viet Nam.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Le Duong Quang, said Dutch energy businesses had high technology and long experience in oil and gas, liquefied natural gas and renewable energy.

He said this provided a good opportunity for them to operate in Viet Nam, a market with large oil and gas reserves and increasing demand for energy consumption.

Quang added that Viet Nam might also become a provider of fuels for biomass production for Dutch renewable energy companies.

He said the Vietnamese Government pledged to create good conditions for businesses to expand co-operation in this area.

At the forum, the two sides also agreed that their ministries, agencies and groups should strengthen co-operation in other fields.

The Netherlands now tops the world in designing and building oil and gas infrastructure. It also ranks second in the world in the export of oil and gas products.

Two-way trade between Viet Nam and the Netherlands increased from US$1.2 billion in 2006 to $3.6 billion in 2013.

The Netherlands has become Viet Nam's second export market in the EU after Germany. It is also one of the leading European investors in Viet Nam with 192 projects worth nearly $6.3 billion.

Cambodian delegation for women welcomed in Hanoi

Politburo member Le Hong Anh on June 18 received a delegation from the Central Committee of the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development (CWPD) led by its President, Men Sam An.

Anh, who is standing member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, praised the increasingly practical and significant cooperation between the CWPD and the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) at both central and local levels.

He said he backs the two unions in strengthening their collaboration, both bilaterally and multilaterally, as well as educating the two countries’ women, especially young people, in preserving and consolidating the traditional solidarity, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.

For her part, Men Sam An, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Chairwoman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association, expressed the Cambodian people’s gratitude to the mothers and wives of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers who helped Cambodia escape from the Khmer Rouge regime.

The CWPD will try its best to foster the traditional solidarity, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, she affirmed.

During its stay in Vietnam, the Cambodian delegation held talks and joined a seminar with the VWU Central Committee. It also paid a courtesy visit to former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.

The guests also had a working session with President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Vu Mao and paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum.

Germany pledges to keep up financial assistance

Germany would continue to provide official development assistance for Viet Nam with a focus on the fields of energy, the environment and vocational training in combination with sustainable development.

German State Secretary Markus Ederer meets with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Ha Noi on June 17.

German State Secretary Markus Ederer made the comments at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Ha Noi on June 17.

At the meeting, both sides agreed to co-ordinate with each other to organise activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties next year.

Viet Nam welcomed Germany's plan to organise the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in HCM City in November, and pledged to support its German partners.

Both men agreed to work closely at multilateral forums and international organisations.

Germany also vowed to help Viet Nam strengthen its comprehensive ties with the European Union and support the EU's recognition of Viet Nam's market economy, while completing negotiations for a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the bloc.

Ederer voiced his support for Viet Nam's stance of solving disputes in the East Sea peacefully in respect of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and objections to unilateral acts that could complicate the East Sea situation.

President thanks Norwegian envoy

President Truong Tan Sang hosted a reception in Ha Noi on June 17 for outgoing Norwegian Ambassador Stale Risa.

The leader spoke highly of the diplomat's contributions to strengthening multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries and acknowledged his role in encouraging Norwegian investors to do business in Viet Nam.

He also thanked Ambassador Risa for encouraging the Norwegian Government maintain its official development assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam and recognise Viet Nam as a market economy.

Sang said the two countries still had opportunities to co-ordinate on renewable energy, electricity and telecommunication, adding that Viet Nam was willing to act as a bridge connecting Norway with other ASEAN nations.

Risa said he believed that a free-trade agreement between the two nations would be signed soon, opening up more chances for ship building, navigation, aquatic product exploitation and telecoms.

He confirmed Norway's willingness to provide technical assistance for projects in Viet Nam.

News agencies discuss ethics

The Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) opened its 37th annual meeting in Manama, capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, on Monday to discuss a professional code for information.

Since its inception in 1961 at a UNESCO initiative, OANA has become a mass media floor for information exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region.

A total of 44 news agencies from 35 countries are involved.

OANA secretary-general and ITAR-TASS first deputy director General Mikhail Gusman said member agencies provided about 70 per cent of the world news flow.

General director of the Bahrain News Agency Muhannad Solaiman said he hoped that OANA members would discuss measures to foster the development of the organisation.

Deputy general director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Le Duy Truyen delivered a speech on the changing face of mass media.

According to Truyen, information technology had changed many things in the media industry, but it could not alter the enduring values of the media, namely precision, objectivity, attractiveness and humanity.

He said VNA correspondents were now required to be able to write and take photos and films as well, adding that only true journalists with professional qualifications, passion and courage could fulfill the media's noble mission.

He said human resources played a key and decisive role in creating outstanding press work, which built up the prestige of media organisations, while technology was a supporting tool to transmit messages to readers faster and more widely.

In addition to professional ethics, participants spoke about the principles of processing information on terrorism, violence and natural disasters.

They decided to set up a OANA Development Committee to share professional experience and map out development strategies.

Russian official visits Viet Nam

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Deputy Chief of Staff and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Co-operation Sub-Committee, welcomed Aleksei Burdelnyi, Secretary of the Russia Sub-Committee of the Russia-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee on military technical co-operation on June 17.

 Khanh spoke highly of the comprehensive co-operative relations between the two countries, including national defence.

He expressed his wish that the two sides would continue to help to maintain and upgrade a number of weapons and equipment Russia supplied to Viet Nam during the wartime.

During their visit to Viet Nam, the Russian official and Russian and Vietnamese experts will check and agree on a number of weapons that need maintenance and repairs, as well as components that need replacing.

Also yesterday, three ships of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, headed by Rear Admiral Dmitriev Vladimir Aleksandrovich, docked at Cam Ranh Port in Khanh Hoa Province for logistical and technical services.

During their stay, the ships' 511 crew members will lay flowers at the memorial for former Soviet Union and Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives for peace and stability in the region.

Crew members will also make a courtesy visit to leaders of Navy Zone 4 and play a volleyball match with Vietnamese soldiers, as well as tour several places of interest in there.

PM greets new Pakistani ambassador

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 18 for Zaigham Uddin Azam, who came to take up his new post as Ambassador of Pakistan.

The PM suggested that both sides should facilitate all-level visits to realise and outline new joint initiatives, with trade, health care, culture, education, national defence and security as all priorities.

On the economic front, Dung made it clear that the Vietnamese Government always strives to assist Pakistani firms in every possible way, and hopes that the partner country will be able to take an equally positive attitude.

Giving the nod to the guest’s proposal of launching a direct Vietnam to Pakistan air route, the leader said this should be done as soon as possible so as to promote trade, investment and tourism between the two nations.

It is also necessary to work closely together at global forums, especially the United Nations, the Prime Minister said.

Zaigham Uddin Azam, in turn, vowed to carry the bilateral partnership forward, especially in such promising fields as food processing, aquaculture, farming and national defence.

He expressed his hope of receiving all possible assistance from the Vietnamese Government during his tenure here.

Belarusian parliamentarians welcomed in Ha Noi

National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son on June 17 welcomed a delegation from the Belarus-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group led by Chairman Vitaly Busko.

Son confirmed that Viet Nam treasured its traditional friendship and multi-faceted co-operation with Belarus. He suggested the two parliaments continue organising regular exchanges of high-level delegations while implementing bilateral agreements.

Busko informed guests of the situation in the East Sea following China's illegal placement of a giant oil rig deep inside Viet Nam's waters.

He expressed his hope that the Commonwealth of Independent States (SNG), including Belarus, would pay more attention to maritime security and safety in the region in general and to the East Sea situation in particular, as well as Viet Nam's stance of solving disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

Busko, who is Chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission for International Affairs, said Belarus valued ties with Viet Nam.

Binh Phuoc seeks to boost all-round ties with Cambodian localities

Authorities of southern Binh Phuoc province on June 17 signed partial memoranda of understanding (MoU) with those from Cambodia’s provinces of Kampong Cham, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Steung Treng and Tbong Khmum, to promote all-round cooperation between the two countries’ localities.

Under the MoUs, the Vietnamese locality and its Cambodian counterparts will work closely together to foster links in investment, agricultural production and export.

They also agreed to create favourable conditions for enterprises of both sides to set up partnership, thus boosting trade links between them.

In addition, the two sides will pay heed to enhancing cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two peoples, while intensifying coordination in ensuring social security and preventing smuggling, trade fraud and drug crime in border areas. They will also coordinate together to popularise regulations of bilateral agreements reached between the two countries and specific laws of each country related to border management and disease prevention in border areas.

Binh Phuoc will transfer agricultural production techniques and scientific advances to help Cambodian localities further develop their agricultural sector.

The two sides agreed to propose that their governments invest in building infrastructure and upgrading traffic works to connect border gates and border economic zones to facilitate economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Chairman of the Binh Phuoc provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tram said the documents contribute to tightening multifaceted cooperation between his locality and the five Cambodian provinces, especially in economics, trade and agriculture, thus boosting the two sides’ socio-economic development.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA