President Sang receives new ambassadors

President Truong Tan Sang separately received new ambassadors from Timor Leste, Oman, Sweden, the Czech Republic and New Zealand in Hanoi on November 6.

At the meeting with Timor Leste’s Ambassador Jorge Trindade Neves de Camoes, Sang said Vietnam supports the country to become an official member of ASEAN, and is willing to share experiences in economic and international integration.

Sang asked the diplomat to convey his invitation to the President of Timor Leste to visit Vietnam in the near future.

The Ambassador thanked Vietnam for its support, expressing his belief that Timor Leste will soon become a full member of ASEAN, and conveyed his President’s invitation to Sang to visit Timor Leste.

At a reception to Oman’s Ambassador Sultan Bin Saif Hilal Al Mahrooqi, the President expressed pleasure at the cooperation between Vietnam and Oman, adding that the two countries have room for cooperation in the fields of oil and gas, trade and labour.

Vietnam will offer favourable conditions to Oman businesses operating in the host country, Sang stated.

The President also expressed his hope that Oman will support Vietnam’s membership candidacy to the United Nation’s Human Rights Council and Socio-Economic Council.

The Oman diplomat confirmed that his country is ready to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to operate in his country, and stressed that Vietnam’s knowledge in fishing and seafood processing would be a competitive advantage when they invest in Oman.

While receiving Swedish Ambassador Camilla Mellander, Sang expressed gratitude for her country’s precious support to Vietnam in the course of national protection and construction.

The ambassador affirmed that Sweden will always support Vietnam’s development, saying she believes that the relations between the two countries will develop further in the future.

At his reception for Czech Ambassador Martin Klepetko, President Sang stressed that Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge for the Czech Republic to enter the ASEAN market.

For his part, the ambassador affirmed that the Czech Republic is a gateway for Vietnamese goods to near the EU market, and vice versa.

He also asked the two sides to create favourable conditions to raise the two countries’ bilateral trade to a higher level.

While receiving New Zealand’s Ambassador Haike Christiaan Manning, the President expressed his wish for Vietnam and New Zealand to expand cooperation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and within the framework of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP).

Vietnam will create good conditions for the ambassador to fulfill his tenure in the country, Sang said.

The ambassador affirmed that New Zealand highly values Vietnam’s role in ASEAN and highlighted New Zealand’s stance on the East Sea issues that the disputes must be settled on the basis of respecting international law, for peace in the region and the world.

Vietnam, Belarus hold political consultation

Vietnam and Belarus will intensify the political consultation mechanism to actively contribute to accelerating the bilateral ties, the two countries’ senior diplomats have said.

At the deputy ministerial level political consultation held in Hanoi on November 5, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga and her Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik informed each other of the socio-economic situations in their respective country.

They also exchanged views on measures to beef up the bilateral cooperation in the fields of politics, economics, trade, education, culture, sports, tourism as well as cooperation among localities of Vietnam and Belarus.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concerns, the two officials affirmed that their countries will continue working closely and supporting each other at international forums.

The same day, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh received Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik.

Vietnam, Belarus look to boost relations

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on Nov. 5 said that investment and trade relations with Belarus have great potential to develop, especially in the fields of electronics, mining, machinery and automobile.

Hai was speaking at a reception for Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik, who is in Vietnam to attend the ninth session of the Vietnam-Belarus inter-governmental Committee.

Hai said that to boost bilateral cooperation, the inter-governmental committee should work more actively, while negotiations should be sped up for a bilateral free trade agreement as well as the agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Deputy FM Aleinik said the four-fold increase of trade exchanges over the past five years was the basis for Belarus to seek expansion of investment in Vietnam, focusing on car assembly, electronic components and engine machinery.

DPRK sends sympathies to Vietnam

President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Yong Nam on November 6 sent his sympathies to Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang over the losses caused by recent storm Son Tinh.

Son Tinh, the eight storm to hit Vietnam this year, caused seven deaths. Five people are still missing.

Training for Lao lecturers ends

The Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration (HCMA) held a ceremony in Hanoi on November 6 to conclude the 2012 teacher training course for lecturers at Lao provincial political and administration colleges of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRD).

The Lao trainees studied Marxism-Leninism theory, Ho Chi Minh ideology, the policies of Vietnam’s Communist Party as well as the country’s goals and ways to socialism.

They also updated various issues related to the era, market economy, culture, socialism, state jurisdiction, and national defence and security strategies.

The Lao trainees also made many fact-finding tours to different provinces in Vietnam to raise their experiences and skills.

On returning to Laos, they are expected to apply their knowledge and experience in their work and contribute to boosting the special relationship between the two countries.

Vietnamese, French Communist Parties debate theory

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of France (CPF) have discussed the current global economic-financial crisis faced by countries in the world.

The two sides affirmed the systematic failure of capitalism and new liberalism in capitalist countries at their first theory workshop held in Paris on November 1-2.

Participants debated the negative and multi-faceted impacts of the global economic downturn on international politics and economy, welfare systems and the lives of workers, as well as the measures taken by capitalist governments since 2008.

They agreed that current international economic models and financial institutions lacking effective supervision mechanisms are out-dated and need major adjustments to meet the development requirements of modern society.

Both Parties scrutinised equality and social security challenges faced by countries, and the difficulties in protecting the legitimate interests of people hardest hit by the crisis.

French researchers and scholars spoke highly of policies and measures the Vietnamese Party and Government are implementing, particularly the policy of restructuring the economy in parallel with social security to sustain the development of the growing national economy.

Russian October Revolution marked in HCM City

An assembly was held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 6 to mark the 95 th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (November 7).

Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association in the city Nguyen Huu Thanh reviewed the historical significance of the event.

The revolution laid a foundation for friendly relations between Vietnam and Russia, he added.

Both sides are striving to raise annual bilateral trade to 5 billion USD by 2015 and 15 billion USD by 2020. At the local level, HCM City is developing ties with Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Sverdlovsk.

Anatoly Vassilievich Borovik, Russian Consul General in HCM City, said leaders of the two countries hold regular visits and exchanges to promote their relations. With more and more Russian tourists visiting HCM City and southern provinces, two-way trade is on the rise, he added.

VN, Cuban Parties discuss development issues

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) shared their experiences in national development in the new era during their first theoretical workshop in Hanoi on November 5-6.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by the Secretary of the CPV’s Central Committee and Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, while the Cuban delegation was headed by the Secretary of the CPC’s Central Committee and head of its International Relations Department Jose Ramon Balaguer.

After two days of debate, both delegations agreed that the renewal process in Vietnam and the updated socio-economic development model used in Cuba are long-term strategic policies, not temporary solutions.

This is a complicated task, posing a large number of both theoretical and practical issues, they said, stressing that the sound leadership of the communist party is the prerequisite and the decisive factor to ensuring success.

Both parties analysed each other’s experiences in modernising policies and implementing practical measures, as well as pin pointing the difficulties and challenges they face on the road to national development.

The participants underlined the need to protect, apply and develop creatively the Marxism-Leninism in each country while continuously renovating and improving the capacity of the leadership, consolidating the revolutionary nature of both Parties and strengthening the close links between both Parties and both peoples.

It is essential to promote solidarity, cooperation and experience exchange between the two Parties for the benefit of both peoples and for building socialism in the two countries, they said.

Both parties praised their first theoretical workshop, saying that it provided an excellent opportunity for theorists and activists from both Parties to discuss theoretical issues on building socialism as well as issues emerging from development issues in each country.

The outcomes of the workshop will help nurture socialism in each country, they said, adding that it is also a practical and effective way of deepening relations between both Parties and both countries and that should be maintained in the future.

According to Tran Dac Loi, Deputy Director of the CPV’s Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, renewal in Vietnam and updating the socio-economic development in Cuba are the results of creativeness in each party when seeking out new ways of advancing towards socialism.

“There has been no precedent in this process, so we have had to address many theoretical and practical issues, particularly in the current international situation,” he said.

As both fraternal parties have the same goal of building a socialist country, both nations need to exchange theoretical research and experiences, he added.

After the workshop, the Cuban delegation will meet with representatives from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration and later visit central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province.

VNN/VNA