Party General Secretary receives Lao Deputy PM

The Lao Government will do its utmost to effectively implement agreements signed with the Vietnamese Government, consolidating and strengthening the two countries’ traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong meets Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavad. (Photo: VNA)

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavad made the statement at his meeting with Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on December 20.

Lengsavad, who is also Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Sub-committee, is in Hanoi to attend the 35 th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee for Economics, Culture, and Science and Technology Cooperation.

Trong expressed his pleasure at the practical and effective cooperative activities between the two countries during the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam 2012 Friendship Year, which have contributed to deepening the two countries’ relations.

He highly valued the outcomes of the 35 th meeting and the efforts of the two Governments to implement agreements.

Trong said he hopes that the two cooperation sub-committees will continue to direct the ministries, agencies and localities to accelerate joint investment projects in Laos, and improve the supervision and implementation of agreements signed at their 35 th meeting.

The sub-committees should also continue to review and complete investment and trade policies to increase two-way trade, strengthen information exchange and improve collaboration at multilateral forums, especially within the ASEAN framework and sub-region cooperation mechanisms, Trong said.

Congratulations to newly-elected RoK President

President Truong Tan Sang on December 20 extended his congratulations to Park Geun-hye, who was elected the new President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the Dec. 19 elections.

The 60-year-old is the first female President of the RoK.

Party delegation attends 53rd ANC conference

A delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Tran Cam Tu, Central Committee member, attended the 53 rd National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party of South Africa.

The conference, which took place from December 16-20 in Bloemfontein, South Africa ’s judicial capital, was attended by 4,500 delegates representing 1.2 million ANC members from across the African country.

Themed, “Unity in Action towards Social-Economic Freedom", the five-day conference discussed the ANC National Executive Committee report, approved a number of measures to develop the economy, attract more investment, create jobs and improve people’s living conditions.

The conference re-elected Jacob Zuma as ANC President, and elected Cyril Ramaphosa as Deputy President. Gwede Mantashe was elected Secretary-General.

During the conference, the Vietnamese delegation was received by ANC President Zuma, who described the delegation’s presence at the conference as proof of the CPV’s solidarity and support to the ANC and the people of South Africa. He expressed his hope to further boost the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two Parties, States and people.

During their stay, Tu and his delegation also met with Chris Matlhako, Secretary for International Relations of South African Communist Party, to discuss ways to foster solidarity and cooperation between the two parties.

Deputy PM meets Mitsui Sumitomo President

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has received Sato Yoshio, President and CEO of the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, on December 20.

The Deputy PM praised the company’s decision to purchase shares in BaoViet Insurance.

He said the Vietnamese insurance market has suffered stunted development and failed to attract investment commensurate to the Vietnamese population’s potential.

The cooperation between the two leading insurance firms will open up the chance for successful development, greatly contributing to economic growth for both countries.

Mr Ninh recognised Japan as one of Vietnam’s top strategic partners, noting the two nations’ plans for numerous economic, cultural, and educational exchanges to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Japanese diplomatic ties (September 21).

Sato Yoshio said his company plans to expand its business overseas, especially in the rapidly developing Vietnamese market.

Vietnam, Cambodia to bolster judicial links

Vietnam and Cambodia need to improve the quality of judicial cooperation, including the exchange of delegations at provincial level, especially between localities in border areas.

Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, Nguyen Hoa Binh, made the suggestion at a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Sok An, in Phnom Penh on December 20.

Binh also asked that the Governments of the two countries allow their procuracy agencies to hold regular biennial meetings to share experience and enhance cooperation.

Sok An, who is also Minister responsible for the Office of the Council of Ministers and co-Chairman of the Council for Judicial and Legal Reform, hailed Binh’s visit as a significant boost to cooperation between the two procuracy sectors as well as friendship between the two countries.

Earlier, Binh held a working session with General Prosecutor at the Cambodian Supreme Court, Chea Leang, and paid a courtesy call to Cambodian Minister of Justice Angvong Vathana.

The delegation is scheduled to pay a floral tribute to the Monument to Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and hold working sessions with the Office of Prosecutor at the municipal court of Phnom Penh and the municipal court of Phnom Penh on Dec. 21 before returning home the same day.

PM meets with leaders of Indian political parties

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on December 20 met with leaders of Indian political parties after he arrived in New Delhi where he will attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit marking the 20 th anniversary of the two sides’ dialogue relations.

He met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Sudhakar Reddy, representative of the Indian National Congress Vishvjit Singh and General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vijay Goel.

Dung thanked the parties for their role in boosting the strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, Government and people are grateful for the Indian people’s valuable assistance during Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and present development.

The Indian parties expressed their common wish to boost the traditional friendship with Vietnam. They agreed to continue enhancing delegation exchanges to share experience in research and theoretical issues.

At a meeting with Vietnamese embassy staff the same day, Dung said he hopes they will continue doing their best to foster Vietnam–India cooperation in politics, economics, trade, investment, culture, education, training, science–technology, tourism, security and defence, particularly to increase two-way trade between the two countries.

UNDP helps Vietnam improve international integration

Hanoi has held a December 20 ceremony to launch a project on improving the capacity of Vietnam’s international integration with a vision to 2020”.

The first part of the project covers the 2012–2014 period.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and UNDP Country Director Louise Chamberlain signed the document entering the project into operation.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister Son highlighted the significance of the UNDP-funded project to further the
international integration of Vietnam’s relevant ministries, agencies, and localities.

He affirmed the project has the valuable support of international friends, noting the UN’s approval of Vietnam’s renovation and international integration policies.

Louise Chamberlain, UNDP Country Director in Vietnam, praised Vietnam’s determination to pursue the process and promised to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure its effectiveness.

This is the first project relating to Vietnam’s international integration. The 2012–2014 period is a crucial part of the socio-economic development plan’s implementation, laying a foundation for the 2011–2020 strategy for making Vietnam a modern industrialised nation by its conclusion.

The stage includes the important integrative steps of building an ASEAN community by 2015, completing WTO commitments by 2018, and signing five new free trade agreements along with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The PM has assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) the responsibility for implementing the project.

It will initially focus on running a training program in collaboration with Harvard University for high-level leaders, conducting research and policy exchanges on international integration, and supporting activities promoting the nation’s image.

War veterans’ fifth congress concludes

The fifth National Congress of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association (VWVA) concluded in Hanoi on December 20.

The congress elected a 99-member Central Committee, which selected a 23-member standing board for the 2012-2017 tenure.

Hero of the Armed Forces, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Duoc was elected President of the association. Phung Khac Dang, Le Thanh Tam, Nguyen Van Dao and Nguyen Song Phi were named as Vice Presidents.

The congress passed a resolution honouring General Vo Nguyen Giap as the association’s Honorary President.

The congress adopted a letter to be sent to the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, reporting on the outcomes of the congress and expressing the association’s loyalty to the revolutionary cause of the Party, State and nation.

A letter to war veterans and ex-servicemen nationwide was also approved.

On behalf of the new VWVA Central Committee, Duoc promised to increase the association’s effectiveness, raise the sense of responsibility, promote democracy and maintain solidarity in the committee, and encourage the association’s divisions and members to fulfill their entrusted tasks.

Vietnam-Chile association strengthens bilateral ties

The Vietnam-Chile Friendship and Cooperation Association has been urged to make further contributions to people-to-people diplomacy as well as the relations between Vietnam and Chile in its 2012-17 term.

The call was made at the 2nd Congress of the Association on December 19 in Hanoi, which announced the new 22-member executive board headed by Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Van Tich.

In the new term, the Association was asked to expand its network and be proactive, flexible, creative and efficient in operation and activities.

Present the event, Chilean ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Urrutia shared the view, underlining that the association should outline more practical activities to further promote mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Van Kien highlighted the association’s efforts to consolidate people’s mutual understanding and foster the development of people-to-people exchanges as well as bilateral trade ties in the old term.

Kien also presented certificates of merit and the insignia “For Friendship and Peace among nations” to the association’s individual members and collective staff for their active part in stepping up the country’s people-to-people exchanges with Chile.

VNN/VOV/VNA