ASEM 9 promotes peace, partnership and prosperity

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Vientiane for the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM9) will contribute to strengthening friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and ASEM nations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in Vientiane, Laos on November 4 to attend the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM-9) at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thamavong.

He is accompanied by Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Vu Duc Dam, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Cam Tu, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Ta Minh Chau.

The Vietnamese delegation will participate in the meetings’ activities with a high sense of responsibility to make practical contributions to promoting Asia-Europe cooperation.

On the theme of “Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity”, the meeting will focus on the current economic and financial situation, global challenges, regional issues and cooperation between ASEM countries.

ASEM was established 16 years ago with the aim of building a new partnership between Asia and Europe to ensure growth, create deeper understanding between people of the two continents and set up dialogues between countries as equal partners.

With the active participation of its members, ASEM has played an important role in shaping a world of peace, friendship and development. It now represents around 60 percent of the world's population and accounts for 55 percent of the global GDP.

ASEM has held eight summit meetings that have attracted 48 members and the ASEM9 marks a fourth expansion with the admission of three new members, Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland, that will bring the total number of ASEM members to 51.

At this summit, ASEM country leaders, and representatives from the European Commission and the ASEAN Secretariat, will analyze and discuss strategic solutions to deal with emerging issues related to economics, finance, global challenges, culture, society and ASEM's future development.

Vietnam, with a population of nearly 90 million, a strategic position in Southeast Asia and a proactive member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), considers developing diplomatic, economic, trade and investment relations with ASEM countries to be very important.

To date, Vietnam has proposed 16 initiatives and co-sponsored 13 others within the ASEM framework, and relations between Vietnam and the EU have flourished and grown considerably over the years.

The EU is one of Vietnam’s leading partners in numerous fields, especially economics, trade and investment. Two-way trade between the two sides reached US$24 billion in 2011.

Vietnam and the EU have signed the framework for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and are currently negotiating to sign a Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as soon as possible.

The attendance of PM Dung and his delegation at the summit demonstrates that Vietnam is willing to take an active role as a responsible ASEM member and contribute opinions and share common interests, promote the recovery of the worldwide economy, cope with global challenges, and maintain peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in both Europe and Asia.

Danish Prime Minister to visit Vietnam

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schimidt will pay an official visit to Vietnam on November 7-8, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry announced on Nov. 4.  

The visit will be made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Uruguay Vice President to visit Vietnam

Uruguayan Vice President Danilo Astori will visit Vietnam from November 5-7 with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade relations.

According to the Uruguayan Presidential Palace’s website, Mr Danilo is scheduled to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang and National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and attend a business conference in Ho Chi Minh City.

Accompanying Mr Danilo will be leaders from the National Administration of Ports, the National Meat Institute, the National Chamber of Commerce and Services, the National Chamber of Industries, the Information Technologies Chamber, and the Free Trade Zone Chamber.

President Danilo's visit follows Uruguayan President Tabare Vaquez's visit to Vietnam in November 2007. Earlier, as a Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr Danilo signed a cooperative framework agreement between the two governments with Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc.

After the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1993, Uruguay received a visit from Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan in 2009 and opened an embassy in Vietnam in late 2011.

According to statistics from Uruguayan Customs, two-way trade turnover between Uruguay and Vietnam enjoyed positive trends in recent years and hit a record high of US$63 million in 2011. Vietnam's exports reached US$28 million and imports from Uruguay were estimated at US$35 million.

Vietnam primarily exports cement, footwear, fish, printers, rubber, dried coconut fiber, suitcases and bags, and imports wood, fish, soybeans, leather, milk, plasma, and pharmaceuticals from Uruguay.

Vietnam, Russia step up security cooperation

Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tran Dai Quang has hailed the effective operation of strategic dialogue mechanisms on diplomacy, security and defence and the regular political consultations between Vietnam and Russia.

Quang made the remarks at his talks with Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Gen. Alexander Bortnikov, FSB Secretary Gen. Nikolai Patrushev and Minister of the Interior Lieut. Gen. Vladimir Kolokonsev, during his visit to Russia from October 30-November 3.

Minister Quang also valued the close coordination between the Russian security and interior agencies and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security in implementing agreements on bilateral cooperation, sharing information and experience in fighting transnational, drug and cyber crimes, as well as cooperation in dealing with criminal cases relating to both countries’ citizens.

He thanked the Russian senior officials for the Russian agencies’ effective help to Vietnam’s security and police forces in personnel training and professional improvement, contributing to boosting the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia’s law enforcement agencies and the Vietnamese partners.

The two sides assessed that the two countries have maintained reliable and stable ties in politics, economics, trade, security and defence.

They agreed on measures to maintain and develop cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Russian security and internal affairs agencies.

During the visit, Minister Quang and Minister Kolokonsev signed a joint action programme between the two ministries for 2013-2015.

Bangladeshi PM wraps up Vietnam visit

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Hanoi on November 4 to return home after concluding her official visit to Vietnam.

During her visit, PM Hasina and her delegation held talks with PM Nguyen Tan Dung and met with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Truong Tan Sang.

The Bangladeshi PM and Vietnamese Party, State and Government leaders affirmed their determination to raise the fine traditional relationship between the two countries to a new level.

They agreed on orientations and specific measures to further strengthen future cooperation in politics, national security and defense.

The two sides have set a target to bring two-way trade turnover to US$1 billion over the next five years and agreed to encourage more cooperation in their fields of strength such as agriculture, aquaculture and information technology.

The two PMs compared notes on regional and international issues of mutual concern and demonstrated their desire to cooperate closely at international forums such as the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS), and the East-West Corridor (EWC).

They also discussed global issues including climate change and food security.

VNN/VOV/VNA