Assembly leader hails visit by top El Salvador legislator

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has described the visit of the Chairman of El Salvador's Legislative Assembly to Viet Nam as an important milestone in the development of ties between the two nations and the regions of Southeast Asia and Central America.

During his discussions with Chairman Sigfrido Reyes in Ha Noi yesterday, June 6, Hung hailed the first visit to Viet Nam by a representative from El Salvador since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 2010.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung (right) receives Chairman of El Salvador's Legislative Assembly Sigfrido Reyes in Ha Noi yesterday.

He stressed that Viet Nam and El Salvador had enjoyed a time-honoured relationship since Viet Nam was engulfed in its fight for national liberation and unification.

The host suggested Reyes urge his Government to recognise Viet Nam as a market economy and make it easier for Vietnamese enterprises to invest in the Latin American country.

Hung called for both sides to share knowledge and expertise, promote the exchange of delegations at all levels and work together closely at multilateral forums.

Reyes confirmed that his visit aims to uncover opportunities for co-operation between the two legislative bodies and peoples.

He also expressed his wish for the partners to share their experiences of reducing poverty and ensuring social welfare.

El Salvador is keen to co-operate more extensively with Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacific nations through its friendship with Viet Nam, he added.

Aside from discussing the regional and global situation and issues of mutual concern, the two leaders also agreed to establish close and regular links between the two legislatures to raise understanding and launch joint political, diplomatic, cultural and tourism co-operation projects.

Co-operative relations

On the same day, the guest was also invited to meetings with the Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang.

Party leader Trong reinforced Viet Nam's wishes to promote friendly and co-operative relations with El Salvador and other Latin American countries. He hoped that bilateral relations could continue to grow, especially in trade and investment.

In a separate meeting, President Sang said that he two sides must work closely together at international and multilateral forums such as the United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In response, Reyes pledged that El Salvador would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses in textiles, electronics and telecommunications to invest in his country. He also stated that his country's companies would be encouraged to access the Vietnamese market and its 90-million population.

He also hoped Viet Nam would continue its role in international forums and affirmed that El Salvador backs Viet Nam's participation in the UN's agencies.

Ties with China to be strengthened

Viet Nam's Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh and China's Vice Premier Ma Kai have agreed to intensify exchanges and contact between high-ranking officials in various forms, helping boost the development of bilateral ties in a sound and stable manner.

The two leaders met in China yesterday, June 6, during Ninh's visit to Kunming City in Yunnan Province to attend the first China-South Asia Expo and the 21st China Import&Export Fair, which are running in tangent until today.

They also reached a consensus on the further acceleration of mutually-beneficial co-operation in economics, trade, science-technology, tourism, education and culture.

Regarding bilateral ties, the two sides showed appreciation of recent progress, especially after the telephone talks between the two countries' Party chiefs on March 21 and the sixth Meeting of the Steering Committee on Viet Nam-China Bilateral Co-operation held in Beijing in May.

Ninh suggested the two sides actively work together to implement the list of key co-operation projects which form the five-year development plan for Viet Nam-China trade-economic co-operation (2012-16).

These projects include connecting highways between the two countries, a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in agricultural trading, negotiations on hygiene inspection and quarantine of farm produce and food traded between the two countries. They will also gradually try to achieve a trade balance. Viet Nam asked that China create favourable conditions it to establish trade promotion offices in the country, as well as encouraging businesses to invest in Viet Nam. They also requested that they strengthened their multilateral economic co-operation following the framework of China-ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Deputy PM Ninh said that the events would create good opportunities for ASEAN and North Asian nations as well as China to improve friendships and expand trade, economic and investment co-operation.

Vice Premier Ma Kai declared that he highly valued Viet Nam's participation at the Expo and Fair, saying that it reflects Viet Nam's great attention to further developing the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with its neighbours.

He confirmed that the Party and Government of China have always attached importance to the development of mutually beneficial relations with Viet Nam.

Chinese side also pledged to actively co-ordinate with Viet Nam in regional and international forums.

Also yesterday, Deputy PM Ninh spoke at the opening ceremony of the expo and the fair that the event had become one of the most attractive opportunities in China for Vietnamese businesses.

The five-day event is set to attract 1,200 businesses from 43 countries and territories. Viet Nam has brought more than 180 booths to the fair - the largest number among participating ASEAN countries - with the majority focusing on handicrafts, food, beverages and footwear.

Co-operation with Malaysia to be strengthened in more fields

Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and Malaysian King Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah have agreed to continue the co-operation between their two countries in various fields, including security, education and training, sports and tourism following fruitful talks in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, June 6.

Doan met the King during a visit to Malaysia in which he attended the 23rd Global Summit of Women.

The two sides expressed their delight at the developing friendship and multifaceted co-operation between the two countries.

They said that through their combined activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, their mutual understanding and trust had deepened, promoting the likelihood of a strategic partnership being established in the future.

Both sides underscored the importance of continuing delegation exchanges and high-level meetings between the two countries.

Accordingly, the Malaysian King pledged to visit Viet Nam soon.

The King then declared that his country would create the best possible conditions for its Vietnamese community to lead prosperous and successful lives in Malaysia.

Both Vice President Doan and the Malaysian King pledged to strengthen their co-operation at regional and international forums, especially in the framework of ASEAN and the United Nations.countries.

They agreed on the need to comply with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), strictly implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) at an early date, with a view to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and the region.

Additionally, the King promised that Malaysia would deal with cases of Vietnamese fishermen and ships entering Malaysian waters in a fair and humanitarian spirit.

The same day, Vice President Doan met with Keosaichay Saynhaxon, the wife of Lao President Chumaly Saynhasone. They shared discussions during the signing of a co-operation agreement between the Viet Nam and Laos Women Unions for the 2012-17 period.

Together they expressed their belief that the two associations would continue sharing experiences in economic development, while working closely together to educate the younger generations of both countries to further the solidarity between Viet Nam and Laos.

Also yesterday Doan visited the Sony Malaysia factory, where about 450 Vietnamese people work.

Latin America, E Asia commit to sustainability

Officials from East Asia and Latin America passed a declaration showing commitment to sustainable development yesterday, ahead of a major East Asia-Latin American forum (FEALAC) meeting in Bali, Indonesia next week.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh said East Asian and Latin American countries were at a critical juncture.

"Our two regions are expected to contribute up to 66 per cent of the global economic growth in 2013," Minh said. "We can't be complacent with our achievements, since the global crisis showed that some of the growth models used in the past are no longer applicable."

Established in 1999, FEALAC now has 36 member countries – representing 40 per cent of the world's population and 33 per cent of the world's GDP.

It's also the only forum bridging the two regions, which have experienced stable and even robust economic growth during the last few years, despite the global economic downturn in many parts of the world.

"We are without a doubt the fastest growing regions in the world," said Lourdes Puma, head of the Ecuador delegation and head of FEALAC's economy and society working group.

"But there are many traditional and non-traditional security threats such as poverty and hunger, climate change and energy and food crises that we have to resolve."

Kensuke Tanaka, head of the Asia Desk for the OECD Development Centre, said countries must embark on structural policies to enhance productivity, such as investment in human capital and infrastructure and tax reform.

The FEALAC forum in Bali will be co-hosted by Indonesia and Colombia.

Defence co-operation with Beijing underlined

Viet Nam and China have agreed to maintain their comprehensive strategic co-operation, including that between their naval and border guard forces.

The two sides announced this during a meeting between Viet Nam's Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan in Beijing yesterday.

They emphasised the need for co-operation and consultation to engage in multilateral security structures for peace - and in the interests of each country's people.

Chang Wanquan said China persistently pursued peaceful development and saw the development of other countries, including Viet Nam, as its opportunity.

Vietnam boosts cooperation with UK and Northern Ireland

Vietnam is keen to cooperate with the UK and Northern Ireland in the fight against international and transnational crime.

Lieutenant General To Lam, Deputy Minister of Public Security, affirmed this at a reception for UK and Northern Ireland Ambassador Antony Stokes in Hanoi on June 5.

Lam spoke highly of growing cooperation in political, economic, cultural, and social affairs between Vietnam and the UK and Northern Ireland in general and the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) and the UK and Northern Ireland’s law enforcement agencies in particular.

He emphasized that relevant agencies from both countries should improve cooperative efficiency in the fight against international and transnational crime, as a boost to bilateral ties.

Ambassador Antony declared that he will help strengthen cooperative ties between the two countries in general and between the embassy and the MoPS in particular.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA