HCM City leaders visit India

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Politburo member Le Thanh Hai on March 14 paid a courtesy call to Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, affirming that his city always considers India as one of its top partners and investors.

Hai is leading a high-ranking delegation from the city that is in India from March 13 at the invitation of the President of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association, aiming to further increase ties between the two countries, and between the city and Indian localities.

During the meeting, he emphasised that Vietnamese people always remember the warm sentiments and whole-hearted support India gave to Vietnam during its past struggle for independence as well as the recent national defence and development cause.

Hai said he hopes President Mukherjee will continue to support the strengthening of cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Indian localities to help improve the friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.

President Mukherjee was delighted that the strategic partnership between the two countries has developed significantly in all fields, including politics, economics, security, defence, culture, education and training, and science and technology.

He expressed his belief that Hai and his delegation’s visit will help boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The same day, Hai met General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Sudkhar Reddy to discuss ways to strengthen the exchange of experience in Party operations, building and development.

Also on March 14, Hai and his delegation met the President of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association.

The two sides expressed their pleasure at the successful activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Particularly, sectors and ministries of the two sides have accelerated the opening of a direct air route linking Ho Chi Minh City and India, which will boost cooperation in trade, investment and tourism between the two countries, they said.

Defence minister visits Australia

Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh is paying an official visit to Australia from March 15-20 at the invitation of his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith.

General Thanh is scheduled to hold talks with Smith and attend a joint press briefing in Canberra. He will also visit a naval base in Australia.

Both sides will review national defence ties over the years and discuss measures to foster the ties, aiming to strengthen the friendship, mutual understanding and trust between the two militaries.

Thanh’s visit take places at a time when Vietnam and Australia are celebrating 40 years of diplomatic ties, showing both countries’ determination to boost their national defence ties.

NA Chairman values contributions by overseas Vietnamese

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung appreciated precious contributions made by overseas Vietnamese to the development of their homeland as he visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin on March 13.

The NA Chairman is currently on an official visit to Germany at the invitation of President of the German Parliament Norbert Lammert.

At a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Germany hosted by the Embassy, Hung said the State of Vietnam will review and amend regulations to create more favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide.

Community representatives expressed their sentiments towards the homeland and asked for practical assistance from the State to support the teaching of Vietnamese language for second and third generation children in Germany.

Earlier on the same day, Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung had talks with President of the German Parliament Norbert Lammert in Berlin.

Thailand, Vietnam boost naval cooperation

Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh met with Thai Vice Admiral Taratorn Kajitsuwan, Commander of the Third Area of the Royal Thai Navy, during his visit to Thailand on March 12-13.

He briefed the host on the reviewed recent activities of the Vietnam People’s Army which have helped strengthen the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

He urged the two navies to share experience in ensuring regional peace and stability and create favorable conditions for sustainable growth in both countries.

Earlier on March 11 Minister Thanh and his Thai counterpart Sukumpol Suwanata agreed to focus on naval cooperation and human resources training under the Agreement on Defense Cooperation signed last September.

Thailand, as an ASEAN-China coordinator for 2012-2015 will help accelerate the process of building the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

PM’s visit to Lao province strengthen ties    

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 14 paid a working visit to the northern Lao province of Xieng Khouang, which borders Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An.

While meeting with key provincial leaders, Dung highly valued the all-around cooperation between Xieng Khouang and Vietnamese localities like Son La and Nghe An over the past time.

Dung thanked the provincial authorities and people for standing side-by-side with Vietnam during the war and current development, which according to him, mirrors the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

He also thanked them for assisting Vietnam in searching and bringing home the remains of over 15,000 Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, adding that he hopes they will soon repatriate the remains of more than 1,000 other soldiers to Vietnam.

The provincial chief Somkok Mangnomek pledged to make it easier for Vietnamese firms to invest in the province, contributing to local socio-economic development.

On the occasion, Dung and his Lao counterpart Thoosing Thammavong chaired a seminar on promoting Vietnamese investment in northern Lao provinces.

Addressing the event, Dung vowed to do his utmost, together with the Vietnamese Party and State, to further boost links between the two nations, especially in economics and trade between their border localities.

The Vietnamese Government always encourages and creates all possible favourable conditions for businesses to invest in Laos, particularly in Xieng Khouang, Dung said.

He suggested the province assist Vietnamese firms to access its country’s potential in tourism, agro-forestry, minerals and hydropower, and at the same time enhance cooperation with Vietnamese localities to maintain a border of peace and friendship for socio-economic development.

For stronger bilateral trade and investment, the two Governments will perfect cooperation agreements, mechanisms and policies, especially preferential incentives, and hold regular dialogues to share information, attract new investment projects, and speed up the progress of existing projects, Dung said.

He asked the Vietnamese enterprises to ensure the quality and progress of projects, strictly observe law, contribute to social welfare, create jobs and help protect the environment in the host country.

The two leaders requested the two countries’ relevant agencies to seek funds to build a 260 km road linking Xieng Khouang and Thanh Hoa province - Vietnam’s economic, industrial and trade hub that houses a deep-water port and an international airport – and connect to nine northern Lao provinces with a population of 2.6 million.

Dung also witnessed a ceremony to grant investment certificates of the Lao Government to Vietnamese investors, and received leaders of the Vietnam–Laos Corporation and overseas Vietnamese in the locality.

Vietnam hopes to deepen ties with RoK

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said Vietnam needs support from the international community and the Republic of Korea (RoK) in particular, in order to fulfil its goal of becoming a modern industrialised country by 2020.

He made the statement at a meeting with Yoon Dae-hee, former Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination of the RoK in Hanoi on March 14.

Expressing his delight at the developing ties between the two countries in all fields, especially economics, trade and investment, Phuc voiced his hope that the two sides will further boost trade cooperation in 2013 as RoK businesses continue to show their interest in large-scale projects in Vietnam.

Yoon Dae-hee, who is also a legal advisor for many large RoK companies investing in Vietnam, spoke highly of Vietnam’s policies to reign in inflation, stabilise the macro-economy and ensure social security.

He affirmed that he will continue to foster Vietnam-RoK cooperation to deepen ties between the two countries.

Peru to open embassy in Vietnam

The government of Peru has decided to open its embassy in Vietnam as part of the South American country’s policy to strengthen friendship, cooperation and political dialogue, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

According to a decree published on Peru’s official gazette on March 13, the move is one of Lima’s efforts to consolidate its “strategic presence” in the Asia-Pacific region and continue to expand political-diplomatic and economic-trade ties with Southeast Asian nations.

The decree said that Vietnam is a very important nation in Southeast Asia, which serves as a bridge for expanding business operations to other regions.

Vietnam is also an important market that helps Peru boost its relations in the Asia-Pacific region, it added.

The document highlighted the dynamic development of the bilateral ties in recent years, adding that both countries expect the early signing of agreements on investment encouragement and protection and cultural cooperation.

During their 3 rd political consultation in Lima last week, the two sides expressed their wish to strengthen cooperation in various fields.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son, who led the Vietnamese delegation at the event, said that a senior delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly will visit Peru this month.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1994, their two-way trade hit 180 million USD in 2012, tripling the figure five years ago.

The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the telecoms group Viettel are implementing important projects in Peru.

VNN/VOV/VNA