VN to boost Dominican party relations

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong vowed to deepen the relationship between both countries’ parties during his meeting with Miguel Mejia, Secretary General of the United Left Movement of Dominica (MIU) on Feb. 20 in Hanoi.

The head of MIU congratulated Trong on the successes of the 11th National Party Congress and the general elections at all levels, along with the country’s socio-economic progress.

Mejia informed Trong of the latest situation in Dominica, the activities of the MIU and the Left Movement of Latin America.

Trong thanked the Dominican party, the people of Dominica and the Secretary General for supporting Vietnam during its struggle for independence and in the renewal and reconstruction processes. He said he hopes that in the future, the MIU and the Dominican Progressive Movement will achieve further victories in their quest for justice and peace.

Earlier, the Dominican delegation also met with Hoang Binh Quan, head of the Party’s National External Relations Committee.

Vietnam willing to support Laos in organising ASEM-9

Relevant Vietnamese agencies will do their best to assist Laos to organize the 9th  Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM-9) scheduled to take place in Vientiane on November 5-6 this year.

The statement was made by Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at a February 20 meeting with Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Bounket Sansomsak who is on a three-day working visit to Vietnam.

FM Minh expressed his delight at the strong development in the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, especially the successful visits by senior leaders from the two countries after the Party congresses and National Assembly elections in each country.

He highlighted the significance of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012 launched by State President Truong Tan Sang and Lao Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone.

Both sides need to work more closely both in bilateral cooperation and at multilateral forums, FM Minh said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bounket Sansomsak, who is also head of the ASEM Senior Official Meeting (SOM) delegation of Laos, spoke highly of Vietnam’s close and effective cooperation and thanked it for sharing experience in hosting ASEM and international activities.

During his stay in Vietnam, Deputy FM Bounkot Sangsomsak met with leaders of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and the head of ASEM SOM Vietnam.

The Vietnam visit by the Lao Deputy FM takes place while ASEM members are preparing a senior officials’ meeting in Denmark early next month to discuss preparations for ASEM-9, one of largest international conferences to be hosted by Laos.

After 15 years of development, ASEM remains an important inter-regional forum with 48 members, representing more than 60 percent of the world’s population and contributing to 55 percent of the global GDP.

Thanh Hoa marks anniversary of President Ho’s visit

President Truong Tan Sang on Feb 20 attended a ceremony marking the day President Ho visited Thanh Hoa province 65 years ago and launched the emulation campaign on building new-styled rural areas.

In the early days of the anti-French resistance war, President Ho Chi Minh visited the central province of Thanh Hoa, which was then an important base of the revolution. In his meeting with local officials, intellectuals and representatives from the public, the president stressed the importance of the province in the country’s development history.

“Thanh Hoa province has time-honoured cultural traditions and is one of the places where many national heroes and talented people were born,” he said, adding that Thanh Hoa should strive to become a model province in all political, economic and military aspects.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Sang said Thanh Hoa has great advantages in terms of geographical location, natural resources and human resource. He called on the Party Committee and people of Thanh Hoa province to hold up their heroic traditions and make use of potential to build their homeland into a model province, in line with the teaching by Uncle Ho.

President tours Thanh Hoa Province

President Truong Tan Sang on Feb. 19 paid a visit to the Nghi Son Economic Zone in Thanh Hoa Province, where he inspected construction on Nghi Son Thermo-electric power plant No.1.

The Electricity of Vietnam project covers an area of 350ha with total investment capital of more than 22 trillion VND (1.05 million USD), 85 percent of which is funded with loans from the Japanese Government.

At the Nghi Son Oil Refinery, the President was briefed on the progress of the project. In its first phase, the refinery, with an annual capital of 10 million tonnes of crude oil, has investment capital of about 8 billion USD. The refinery will increase its capacity to up to 20 millions tonnes of crude oil per year in its second phase.

During talks with relocated households in Hai Yen commune, one of the areas ceding land to the project, Sang expressed his pleasures at the local synergy.

On the same day, President Sang also worked with key provincial staff.

He praised the province’s efforts in recent years, especially in 2011 when it enjoyed economic growth of 12.3 percent and a revenue of nearly 5 trillion VND.

The President noted that the province should use land funds in an economical way, carefully select investment projects and create jobs for local workers.

At the meeting, the province proposed that capital be mobilised towards implementing key projects, including the construction of the Nghi Son Oil Refinery, upgrading of National Highway 1A, the north-south highway route and the development of Ngoc Lac district as a central urban area.

President Sang also paid a visit to the Lam Kinh Historical Site in central Thanh Hoa Province’s Xuan Lam Commune, where Kings of the 15th century Le dynasty are worshipped.

Vietnam donates aid to Philippine storm victims

Vietnam has granted US$100,000 in emergency aid to the Philippines to help its residents overcome the consequences of the recent Washi tropical storm.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son donated the aid to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in capital Manila on February 20.

Son extended Vietnam’s condolences to the Philippine government and people over heavy human and property losses caused by the storm, and believed that the Philippines will soon overcome the consequences.

Washi slammed into the Philippines on December 16, 2011 and claimed nearly 1,000 lives.

Secretary Albert del Rosario thanked Vietnam for the aid, describing it as a vivid manifestation of the close-knit solidarity between the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as among countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.  

Son is in Manila for the first session of the Vietnam-Philippines Commission on maritime and ocean affairs at the deputy foreign ministerial level.

VNN/VOV/VNA