Vietnam boosts ties with European countries

Slovakia, Poland and Hungary have affirmed support for Vietnam ’s bid to strengthen ties with the European Union (EU).

This was signalled during Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Bui Thanh Son’s visits to the three European countries from July 2-9 to boost bilateral ties.

These countries have also delivered support for the early signing of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Vietnam as well as the early recognition of Vietnam as a market economy.

During the visit, the Deputy FM conducted periodical political consultations with the Slovak, Polish and Hungarian Foreign Ministries and held talks with the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs of the three countries.

He paid courtesy visits to Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Jozef Mihal, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, President of the Poland Senate’s Committee for External Relations Leon Kieres, and President of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group Ola Janos.

At the working sessions, the officials agreed to implement specific measures to boost the all-faceted development of respective bilateral ties in all fields, especially economics, trade and investment, through practical and effective cooperation projects as well as complete legal frameworks provide firm foundations for strengthening their cooperation in the future.

They exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, including the settlement of the East Sea issue through peaceful solutions on the basis of the international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

The host officials expressed wish that Vietnam would contribute to fostering the EU-ASEAN relations.

On the occasion, Deputy FM Son and Slovak Deputy PM Jozef Mihal officially opened the Vietnamese Embassy in Bratislava .

The Vietnamese Deputy FM and the Polish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports between the two countries.

Japanese city urged to increase investment in Vietnam

A Vietnamese Politburo member has suggested Japan’s Osaka city have supportive policies for Japanese businesses to expand operations and increase investment in Vietnam.

Truong Tan Sang, also standing member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, made the suggestion while receiving the Osaka Mayor, Kunio Hiramatsu, in Hanoi on July 9.

In addition that , Osaka should boost technological transfer and expand cooperation in education, science, human resources, people-to-people exchange, cultural exchange and tourism with Vietnamese localities, he said.

Sang spoke highly of the dynamic socio-economic and cultural development of Osaka city, an important trade, industrial and seaport centre of Japan in general and the Kansai region in particular.

He applauded the expanded cooperation between Osaka city and Ho Chi Minh City, saying that the acceleration of ties among localities plays an important role in deepening the Vietnam-Japan relationship.

He also praise active contributions by Mayor Kunio Hiramatsu to fostering the friendship and cooperation between the two countries over the past time.

For his part, the Osaka mayor thanked the Vietnamese government and people for their support for Japan to overcome the consequences of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

He affirmed that the twin relationship between Osaka and Ho Chi Minh City has developed fruitfully, especially in politics, economics, culture and people-to-people exchange, making active contributions to developing the strategic partnership between the two nations.

He pledged that Osaka will continue expanding exchanges and strengthening cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese localities in the future.

Vietnam, Egypt vow stronger cooperation

The Vietnamese government and people wished to continue promoting multifaceted cooperation with Egypt for the benefits of the two peoples.

Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung made this statement at a ceremony to mark the 59 th anniversary of Egypt’s Revolution Day (July 23, 1952 - July 23, 2011).

Hung said that after about 50 years of diplomatic ties, the Vietnamese and Egyptian people had always fostered friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation for the benefits of the two peoples and for peace and development in the region and the world.

Egyptian Ambassador to Vietnam, Reda El Taify, underlined that the revolution had changed the destiny and future of Egypt, bringing all Egyptian people a better and happier life after many years of being oppressed, suppressed and exploited.

Taify said that this event was an historical turning point for anti-colonialism movements and the fight against foreign aggression for national independence not only in Egypt, but also across Arabia, Africa and developing countries.

He added that Egypt was pursuing a democratic path towards the elections of its National Assembly and President by the end of the year, saying a new Constitution would be drawn up to adjust the balance of power among the State legislative, executive and judicial bodies, preparing a foundation for changes in the country’s medium and long-term strategy.

On the occasion, he affirmed that long-term friendly relations between Egypt and Vietnam were closely attached to traditional and comprehensive cooperation for mutual support.

VN, Philippines mark 35 years of friendship

Diplomatic corps of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) flocked to a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on July 8 to share in the jubilant mood as Vietnam and the Philippines celebrated the 35 th anniversary of diplomatic links.

The President of the Municipal Union of Friendship Organisations, Le Hung Quoc, emphasised that Vietnam has always considered the Philippines as an important partner in the region.

“We have always done our best to develop friendship and comprehensive cooperation with the Philippines on all scales, from bilateral to ASEAN and international,” the official said.

His view was echoed by the Philippines Ambassador, with both expressing satisfaction at impressive growth in trade revenues and investment between the two ASEAN members.

The Philippines currently ranks fourth among ASEAN investors in Vietnam. Its investment in HCM City alone reached 40.32 million USD with 25 current projects.

Bilateral trade turnover increased five-fold from almost 400 million USD in 2001 to over 2 billion USD in 2009, with Vietnam being a long-term major rice supplier for the Philippines. The two countries also signed an agreement on fisheries cooperation in 2010.

Vietnam ready to work with Australia in Securency case

Vietnam is ready to cooperate with the Australian side in the Securency case, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga said.

At the Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference on July 7, reporters raised a question about “The Age” of Australia’s recent reporting of the case of Securency and Note Printing Australia, mentioning the involvement of a number of Vietnamese officials.

Nga said Vietnam was informed about the Australian side’s arrest of six Australian citizens for allegedly giving bribery to win banknote supply contracts in some countries.

She affirmed that Vietnam is willing to work with Australia in investigating the case to make it clear and handle it in line with Vietnam’s law.

Vietnam joins ASEAN-Japan dialogue

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu was attending the fourth annual dialogue between the ASEAN Secretary General and members of the Federation of the Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA) in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur on July 8-9.

This was the first time economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan have joined business leaders in talks on lifting trade barriers and securing closer economic ties.

The dialogue offers a chance for ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan to clear up Japanese investors’ concerns and inform the Japanese business community about the region’s situation as well as decisions made by ASEAN member countries.

Industry leaders from ASEAN and FJCCIA asked politicians to join them at the dialogue, aimed at discussing the implementation of the free trade area in ASEAN and addressing problems faced by Japanese investors targeting the 10-nation region.

Malaysian Minister of Industry and Trade Mustapa Mohamad said in his opening remarks that many businesses were benefiting from free trade agreements (FTA) or economic partnership agreements (EPA), which are both set in ASEAN.

He expressed his hope that the number would further increase with the signing of agreements on service and investment in accordance with the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

The Malaysian minister said he believed there would be closer cooperation between FJCCIA and the ASEAN Commercial Consultative Committee, as well as chambers of industry and trade.

Mohamad took the occasion to propose that FJCCIA and the ASEAN economic minister jointly hold a seminar titled “ASEAN investment”, especially for Japanese businesses, during the next dialogue or at a suitable time.