Vietnam attends 16th NAM Ministerial Meeting

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh participated in the 16th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and a ceremony to mark the 50th founding anniversary of NAM, in Bali, Indonesia from May 24-27.

Vietnam was elected as one of the Vice Chairs of the meeting, which drew the participation of over 130 delegations from NAM member countries, observers and international organisations.

The delegates approved the meeting’s documents and declarations on celebrating the 50 th NAM founding anniversary and Palestinian refugees. The meeting also admitted Fiji and Azerbaijan , raising the total number of NAM members to 120.

Speaking at the event, the Vietnamese delegation head highlighted the historical significance of NAM over the past five decades as it gathered the indispensable political forces of developing countries, protected basic principles of the international law and UN Charter, and united against superpower policies, striving to build fair and equal international relations and strengthen friendship and cooperation among member countries.

Minh said that NAM should maintain its existing basic principles which were considered its guidelines during the past 50 years, especially the principle of respecting the independence and sovereignty of nations.

“The movement should improve its role and strengthen solidarity to address current global challenges while accelerating the UN reshuffle, implementing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and solving burning issues through peaceful solutions, actively contributing to maintaining international peace and security, and for the sustainable and prosperous development of all nations,” he said.

According to the Vietnamese representative, NAM needed to have a stronger, more united standpoint on fighting interventions in countries’ internal affairs under the mask of democracy and human rights, or the unilateral imposition of embargo measures on several NAM countries.

Deputy FM Minh affirmed that during the struggle for national independence as well as in the current renewal, industrialisation and modernisation period, Vietnam had actively participated in NAM activities.

With its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international relations, and proactive international integration along with becoming an active and responsible member of the international community, Vietnam would make more practical contributions to the movement’s goals in order to build a peaceful and prosperous world.

On the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial Meeting, Deputy FM Minh met with heads of several foreign delegations, including Cuba, Venezuela, Laos, Cambodia, India, Belarus, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Colombia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Bhutan and Slovenia.

African Day celebrated in Vietnam

A solemn ceremony was held in Hanoi on May 26 to mark the 48th African Day (May 25, 1963) and the establishment of the African Union (AU).

Speaking at the ceremony, co-organised by the diplomatic corps of African countries in Vietnam and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), South African Ambassador to Vietnam Ratubatsi Super Moloi vowed to boost all decisions made during the 2010 Vietnam-Africa International Workshop, especially measures to strengthen mutual understanding, expand foreign relations and complete legal frameworks and cooperation mechanisms for trade and investment ties between Vietnam and African countries.

The AU was building and consolidating its mechanisms in order to ensure peace, democracy and development on the continent, he said.

Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan spoke highly of recent encouraging developments in Vietnam-Africa relations, reflected by numerous visits by leaders of Vietnam and African countries.

He said the two sides should make overall assessments on economic trade and cultural relations and formulate cooperative pathways in agriculture, energy, education and health, in order to build a partnership that matched the potential and expectations of the Vietnamese and African people.

The minister expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Africa relationship would further develop in the future for the benefit of both Vietnamese and African people, as well as for peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large.

On the occasion, the South African Ambassador to Vietnam congratulated Vietnam on the success of the 11th National Party Congress and the elections of deputies to the 13th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.

US receives Vietnamese ambassador

Vietnamese ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong has pledged to help improve Vietnam-US relations during his new term of office.

He made the commitment at a reception given by Baker & McKenzie law firm in Washington, DC on May 26.

Ambassador Cuong noted that Vietnam-US relations have continued developing in all fields over recent years, especially in economics, science and technology, education and health care.

Vietnam and the US have also cooperated closely in handling regional and international issues related to climate change, anti-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation, he said.    

On regional level, Vietnam and the US share strategic interests in strengthening and consolidating the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and boost the association’s role in the Asia-Pacific region, Ambassador Cuong emphasised.

He said Vietnam and the US expect to bring bilateral relations to a new height and they are considering the best ways of ensuring mutual benefits as well as peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Baker & McKenzie is a leading international law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois state. It has 3,750 lawyers and has 69 representative offices in 41 countries over the world. Since its operation in Vietnam in 1993, the law firm has offered consultancy advice on business, finance, insurance, intellectual property and investment.

Vietnam, Laos strengthen procuracy cooperation

The second meeting of the people’s procuracy sector of Vietnamese and Lao border provinces took place in the central Lao province of Savannakhet on May 25-26.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Tran Quoc Vuong, Director of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, while the Lao delegation was headed by Director of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Somphanh Phengkhammy.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed measures to strengthen legal cooperation in preventing organised transnational criminals, especially drug and human traffickers, in Vietnamese and Lao border provinces.

The two sides were keen to boost the efficiency of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ procuracy sectors.

VNN/VOV/VNA