VietNamNet Bridge – President Truong Tan Sang has held bilateral meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and attended a meeting with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

The two Presidents witnessed the signing of the 2014-2018 action programme on the implementation of the Vietnam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership.

President Truong Tan Sang and his delegation began talks within the framework of the 21stAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on October 7

At a meeting with Indonesian President Yudhoyono, Sang praised Indonesia for effectively performing its role as Chair of APEC 2013 and successfully completing important APEC activities as well as thoroughly preparing for the ninth WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for December in Bali.

Indonesia’s success has helped elevate ASEAN status in the Asia Pacific region and wider world.

The two leaders agreed to coordinate close relations at the regional and international forums, particularly ASEAN and the UN.

They placed importance on joining hands with other ASEAN members to speed up the building of an ASEAN community by 2015 and enhance the regional grouping’s central role and common voice in issues relating to regional security and development.

Sang and Yudhoyonoe witnessed the two Foreign Minsters sign an action program for the 2014-2018 period, regarding the implementation of Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership.

They hoped that the signing of this important document will improve the strategic partnership between the two nations in the interests of the two leaders and its people and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, development and prosperity in the region.

The action program covers major orientations and specific targets for 2014-2018 aiming to realize the strategic partnership in such fields as politics, defence-security, economics, energy, agriculture-forestry-fishery, transport, culture, sports and tourism.

Talking to the Sultan of Brunei Bolkiah, President Sang congratulated his country’s success in its capacity of ASEAN Chair 2013 which markedly contributed to reinforcing solidarity and ASEAN cooperation with its partners and raising the regional grouping’s international position.

Both sides agreed to work hand in hand with ASEAN members to build a united community by 2015 and bring into full play ASEAN role in the region.

They underlined the need to properly implement ASEAN’s six point principle on the East Sea and the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards building a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China.

The two leaders compared notes on major plans for increasing more effective cooperation in economics, trade, investment, agriculture, seafood, energy, oil and gas, education-training.

They consented to closely coordinate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations, ensuring it is a balanced agreement paying proper attention to members with different development levels.

As part of his activities at the 21st APEC Summit, Sang along with APEC leaders attended a plenary session and a dialogue with the ABAC which drew the participation of representative leaders from regional and global leading groups.

APEC leaders and ABAC representatives discussed issues of regional businesses’ concern such as trade and investment facilitation, the financial market, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), efficiency of supply chain, sustainable development and food and energy security.

They applauded businesses’ proposals on further promoting APEC-ABAC partnership in cooperation areas to deliver practical benefits to the business community and maintain dynamics and vitality of the Asian Pacific economy.

At an earlier meeting with leaders from US groups and companies, President Sang was appreciative of the attention and effective operations of the US business community in Vietnam. He said it has positively contributed to Vietnam-US relations especially after they established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Sang highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to restructure the national economy and create favourable conditions for foreign investors including those from the US.

 The Vietnamese State and Government are going ahead with measures to further strengthen comprehensive partnership focusing on economic, trade and investment cooperation with the US, said Sang.

US business representatives applauded Vietnam’s efforts in restructuring the economy, renewing the growth model which has consolidated their trust and forged favourable conditions for them to expand investment projects in Vietnam.

They also expressed belief in the potential and bright prosperity of the Vietnamese economy and Vietnam’s role in pushing up the TPP negotiations

President Sang welcomed the US Department of Commerce’ (DOC) recent decision to reject anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Vietnamese frozen warm water shrimp and hoped that the US Government would remove trade barriers on Vietnamese goods.

*** The same day,  President Sang  also had bilateral meetings with leaders from China, Japan, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on the sidelines of the 21st APEC Summit.

Meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping, President Sang expressed his belief that China will record greater achievements during its open-door renovation and construction of China-characterised socialism.

He appreciated Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s forthcoming official visit to Vietnam as a contribution to further deepening the two countries’ comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The two sides expressed their pleasure at the fine progress in their Parties and States’ relations, especially through the implementation of joint perceptions and important agreements reached by high-ranking leaders after President Sang’s visit to China in June.

At the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Sang thanked the Japanese Government for maintaining official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam at a high level, and asked for the country’s support for Vietnam’s economic restructuring, industrialisation and modernisation.

PM Abe hailed the success of the 2013 Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year, and agreed on the need for the countries to exert more efforts to realise the potential of their Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and coordinate in negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Both sides also exchanged views on key issues of APEC-related meetings as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern. They agreed that peace, stability, maritime security and safety at sea, including the East Sea and East China Sea, are important to the development of the whole region, and relevant countries need to solve all disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

President Sang also met with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who affirmed that his country will maintain ODA for Vietnam to support its socio-economic development, poverty reduction and human resources training.

The two leaders discussed measures to strengthen the Vietnam-New Zealand comprehensive partnership, especially strengthening high-ranking delegation exchanges and effectively implementing the 2013-2016 action programme on cooperation in economics, trade, investment, agriculture and education.

They also exchanged views on key cooperation activities among APEC member economies and coordination in the TPP negotiations.

Meeting with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, the Vietnamese State leader affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to fostering the friendship and cooperation with Papua New Guinea and is willing to act as a bridge for the country to cooperate with ASEAN and Southeast Asia.

To promote mutual understanding and tap their two countries’ potential, both leaders stressed the need to intensify the exchanges of delegations and businesses, establish inter-governmental cooperation mechanisms and complete a legal framework to create favourable conditions for cooperation projects and programmes on trade, investment, culture, tourism, agriculture, aquaculture and energy.

Accompanying the President in a meeting with leaders of nearly 20 major US groups and companies, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Russia, Mexico and Peru the same day.

The two sides greatly valued the positive progress in bilateral relations and affirmed their determination to intensify ties and continue cooperating at regional and international forums.

At the meeting with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, the two sides discussed specific measures to further deepen the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

They also underscored the need to raise the efficiency of the two countries’ cooperation mechanisms, including the inter-governmental committee on economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation and political consultation at the deputy foreign ministerial level.

At the meeting with Mexican FM Antonio Meade Kuribrena, the two sides agreed to further boost bilateral relations by strengthening delegation exchanges, setting up cooperation mechanisms and signing more agreements.

Meanwhile, FM Minh and his Peruvian counterpart Eda Rivas Franchini inked a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation within the APEC framework, which is expected to help the two countries cooperate more closely at the forum, especially to ensure the success of the APEC Summit in Peru in 2016 and in Vietnam in 2017.

Source: VOV