PM to attend 21st ASEAN Summit in Cambodia

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will lead a Vietnamese delegation to the 21 st ASEAN Summit and related summits to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from November 17-20, the Foreign Ministry announced on November 13.

Dung’s trip will be made at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, the ministry further said.

Russian Federation Council begins Vietnam visit

Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, arrived in Hanoi on November 13, beginning her official two-day visit to Vietnam.

Matviyenko is accompanied by Ilyas Umakhanov, the council’s Deputy Chairman;  Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Council’s Committee for International Affairs; Andrey Yurievich Molchanov, Chairman of the Council’s  Committee on Economic Policy; other senior officials of the Council; as well as Viktor Kosourov, President of the Russia-Vietnam parliamentary friendship group.

Valentina Matviyenko was born in 1949 in Ukraine. In 1972 she graduated from  the Leningrad Institute of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics.

She pursued her career in the Leningrad Young Communist League and district CPSU Committee and became Deputy Chair of the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council in 1986.

In 1989 she was elected deputy to the Soviet Parliament, subsequently chairing the Soviet Supreme Council Committee for Women, Families, Maternity, and Childhood. In March  2003 she was appointed Representative Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-Western Federal District of the Russian Federation and became the Governor of Saint Petersburg seven months later.

Matviyenko was elected Chairperson of the Council of the Federation in the Russian Federal Assembly in September 2011.

The Chairwoman has been decorated with various awards Orders of Merit for the Fatherland (1999, 2009, and 2003), Order of Honour (1996) Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1981), and Order of the Badge of Honour (1976).

Czech’s National Day celebrated in HCM City

A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 13 to mark the 94th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s National Day (October 28, 1918-2012).

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Vietnam-Czech Friendship Association (VCFA) in Ho Chi Minh City.

Addressing the function, VCFA President Nguyen Muong stated that Vietnam and the Czech Republic boast time-honoured friendship which has been continuously preserved and developed over the past decades despite ups and downs.

The Vietnamese people are always grateful to the republic for its valuable material and spiritual support to Vietnam in the struggle for national independence in the past as well as the current national construction and defence, he said.

Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam Martin Kletpetko stressed that his country wishes to foster cooperation with Vietnam in all fields, adding many Czech businesses are seeking opportunities in the Southeast Asian nation.

VN, RoK sign MoU on e-government management

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on building an e-government in the central city of Da Nang on November 13.

The signing took place in Da Nang in the presence of local authorities and representatives from the RoK’s National Information Society Agency (NIA).

The newly-signed document will also act as a guiding reference for Vietnam to develop and manage their e-government system nationwide.

Under the MoU, each side will set up a respective cooperation committee that will include representatives assigned to meet and discuss on the cooperation.

NIA and local authorities agreed in principle to transfer technology and the usage of the e-government model. NIA will provide technical assistance as well as training programmes and seminars to disseminate knowledge in the field.

President calls on RoK to tighten connection

The Republic of Korea (RoK)-Vietnam Friendship Association should cooperate at the highest level to tighten bilateral ties between the two countries.

President Truong Tan Sang made this statement at a reception held for the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association delegation, led by Chairman Choi Young Joo, in Hanoi on November 13.

Valuing the association’s visit in a time when the two countries have been organising a wide range of activities to mark the 20 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Sang expressed pleasure at the strategic partnership built between Vietnam and RoK.

With 100,000 RoK citizens living in Vietnam and 70,000 Vietnamese brides living in harmony with the local community, the two countries have enjoyed closer ties, sharing social and cultural similarities, Sang said.

On his part, Choi Young Joo said that his association will organise more activities, contributing to the advancement of their mutual traditional relations.

Casting a high appraisal of Vietnam’s investment environment, the Chairman and the association’s delegates pledged to exert all efforts to promote Vietnam’s image and serve as a bridge for RoK firms to increase their investment in Vietnam.

Vietnam, Ukraine boost procuracy cooperation

A delegation from the Supreme People’s Procuracy, led by Prosecutor General Nguyen Hoa Binh, visited Ukraine from November 9-13.

During his visit, Binh held talks with Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka of the Ukraine General Procuracy.

The two sides discussed measures to increase cooperation in prosecution and verdict implementation.

They agreed on mutual support on building legal documents, expert training, delegation exchanges and experience sharing.

They also agreed to protect citizens from the two nations that live and work in each other’s territory.

Binh said he hopes that Ukraine, as a member of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities and the International Association of Prosecutors, will continue to support Vietnam’s participation in these organisations.

For his part, Pshonka affirmed his backing for Vietnam’s cooperation initiatives and pledged to support Vietnam’s participation in international organisations relating to prosecution work.

Deputy Defence Minister meets Ukrainian Ambassador

Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Truong Quang Khanh received Ukrainian Ambassador to Vietnam Oleksiy Shovkoplias in Hanoi on November 13.

The meeting is in preparation for the Ukrainian President’s visit to Vietnam on November 14-15.

At the meeting, the two sides noted that bilateral cooperation in military science and technology has seen positive developments in 2012, such as the exchange of delegations and experience sharing. They agreed to work to boost this cooperation in the future.

The Vietnamese side asked Ukraine to grant scholarships for Vietnamese military staff.

Party delegation attends El Salvador’s FMLN congress

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) attended the 29 th national congress of the El Salvador’s Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) from November 10-12.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by deputy head of the CPV Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission Nguyen Duy Viet, was received by FMLN Party General Secretary Medano Gonzales and other high-ranking officials.

During their meetings, the two sides informed each other of the situation of their respective Parties and discussed measures to further promote the solidarity and traditional cooperation between the two parties and countries.

The two sides also expressed their wish to enhance their economic-trade relations and soon open diplomatic representative offices in each other’s country.

The Vietnamese delegation had meetings and exchanges with some international delegations attending the congress and FMLN cardres, who used to study in Vietnam.

VNN/VOV/VNA