VietNamNet Bridge – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on July 15 hosted separate receptions for Japanese Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro, who is in Hanoi for the fourth session of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee.

Talking with the Japanese minister, Party General Secretary Trong expressed his pleasure with the development of the bilateral multi-faceted cooperation and friendship.

He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of treasuring the strategic partnership with Japan and expanding cooperation and exchanges for the benefit of both peoples, thus contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

The Party leader highly valued Japan’s provision of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam at a high level and pledged to effectively use the assistance.

He suggest the two countries closely work together to organise the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year in 2013 when they will celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Minister Gemba Koichiro thanked the Vietnamese people for their support and solidarity with the Japanese people following the tsunami last year.

He said that the Japanese people and businesses want to strengthen relations with Vietnam and proposed both sides increase high-level visits and promote contacts between political parties and parliaments as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

He also urged that both sides join hands to raise the effectiveness of cooperation, particularly in the implementation of projects the two governments signed, and further the Japan-Vietnam strategic partnership.

At his meeting Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hailed the outcomes of talks between the two foreign ministers and the fourth session of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee.

The PM affirmed the Vietnamese Government and people’s desire to join hands with Japan to further deepen cooperation in all areas between the two countries for each country’s development.

He said that Vietnam already formed a steering board for celebrations during the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and another steering board to accelerate industrial cooperation between the two countries.

PM Dung added that the two Governments need to pus forward mega cooperation projects agreed by both sides, such as the construction of Ninh Thuan nuclear-power plant 2 and the development of rare earth industry in Vietnam.

Minister Gemba Koichiro said during his current visit to Vietnam, the two sides have discussed orientations and measures to develop the strategic partnership in a comprehensive, effective and substantial manner in the coming time.

The Minister affirmed Japan will boost cooperation with Vietnam in human resource development, science-technology, culture and people-to-people exchange.

He stressed that Japan continues to consider Vietnam a leading partner in terms of ODA, saying the Japanese Government will maintain ODA provision at a high level to Vietnam, focusing on growth support and enhancement of competitiveness, natural disaster control and climate change adaptation.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Minister Gemba expressed Japan’s support of free trade, secure and safe maritime navigation on the East Sea, and the solution of disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

VietNamNet/Vietnam Plus