PM Dung leaves for 23rd ASEAN Summit

Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation on October 8 left Hanoi for the 23rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings from October 8-10 at the invitation of Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.

The delegation included Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh- Head of ASEAN-Vietnam SOM delegation and ambassador Vu Dinh Dung, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN.

The 23rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings takes place in the context that ASEAN is determined to promote community building efforts and regional connectivity with a focus on the people in the region.

ASEAN has made great strides in reinforcing solidarity, increasing intra-bloc cooperation, deepening relations with its partners, and raising its voice in dealing with regional issues.

However, the regional grouping is facing huge challenges, especially in finalizing the building of the ASEAN Community in 2015 as scheduled, and working out an ASEAN vision beyond 2015.

The Vietnamese delegation will, together with other ASEAN member states, bring into full play what they achieved in the previous meetings as a contribution to making the summit successful, enhancing ASEAN’s central role in sharing regional structure towards building a united and strong ASEAN community for the sake of peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Vietnam’s participation in the event also aims to elevate its international status and boost bilateral with ASEAN partners.

Vietnam, Bulgaria enhance court cooperation

A memorandum of understanding on judicial cooperation between the supreme courts of Vietnam and Bulgaria was signed in Hanoi on October 7.

The MoU will lift the cooperation between the agencies to a new level, contributing to bolstering the friendship between the two countries, the two chief judges said at their talks held the same day.

Chief Judge of the Vietnam Supreme People’s Court Truong Hoa Binh and his Bulgarian counterpart Lasar Gruev agreed on orientations for future cooperation, including the provision of regular professional assistance for judges and court staff, the organisation of workshops and professional exchanges, and experience sharing.

Chief Judge Lasar Gruev led a Bulgarian Supreme Court delegation to visit Vietnam from October 6.-

China attaches importance to relations with Vietnam

Premier Li Keqiang’s October 13-15 visit to Vietnam demonstrates China’s desire to develop its comprehensive, strategic cooperation partnership with Vietnam, said China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin.

This is Li’s first visit to Vietnam since China’s new leadership was elected in March 2013.

China hopes the visit will help further strengthen the friendly and neighbourly relations, and increase strategic trust and practical cooperation between the two countries, Liu said at a press briefing in Beijing on October 7.

He said both countries’ senior leaders have maintained regular contact and reached consensus on strengthening political trust, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, satisfactorily settling sensitive issues, and setting orientations for bilateral relations in the new context.

China will work closely together with Vietnam to realise their leaders’ common consensus, as well as signed cooperation agreements to develop bilateral relations in a healthy and stable manner, and in line with general interests and aspirations of the two peoples, for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, he stressed.

Also at the press briefing, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan confirmed China will help Vietnamese commodities penetrate deep into its market.

Both sides have huge potential and opportunities to upgrade their economic and trade ties, she noted.

Vietnam ready to promote regional connectivity

Vietnam is willing to work together with other APEC members to strongly implement regional economic connectivity and reinforce the multilateral trade system.

President Truong Tan Sang made the statement at the October 7 first working session of the 21st APEC Summit on the organization’s role in strengthening the multilateral trade system in the current global economy.

As one of the leaders to be invited to deliver an introductory speech at this first session, President Sang underscored APEC’s prime urgent task of pushing for a concrete agreement to be reached at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting in December aiming to create a breakthrough for the Doha talks and a driving force for the global economy’s growth to bounce back and develop on a stable basis.

He reiterated Vietnam’s support to flexible efforts for a balanced Bali package, in which development priority is given to special, different treatments for developing and under-developing countries.

President Sang also called for APEC to be more radical in carrying out the Bogor goals and beefing up cooperation as the face of the global economy and trade rapidly changes.

APEC also needs to garner strong support for the reform of economic governance and global trade towards equality, democracy, civilization and efficiency, promoting the role of both developing and emerging economies, he said.

President Sang officially announced that Vietnam will host the 25th APEC Summit in 2017, which received strong support and high appreciation from all APEC member economies and will be put on this year’s summit declaration.

This will be the second time Vietnam has been entitled to host an APEC summit.

During the session, 21 APEC economic leaders reached a statement showing APEC’s political determination and strong support for pushing up the World Trade Organisation Ministers’ Meeting to approve a new agreement (Bali package) on development issues, agriculture and trade facilitation.

They also consented to fulfil the Bogor goals by 2020 in joint efforts to form a resilient, cohesive, fair and sustainable Asia-Pacific.

The same day, President Sang and other APEC leaders attended a banquet and a special arts performance hosted by the Indonesian President.

Myanmar waives visa for Vietnamese

Vietnamese passport holders would no longer have to get a visa to visit Myanmar from October 26 this year, the Foreign Ministry has said.

According to the visa exemption pact between Viet Nam and Myanmar, citizens need to have their passports valid for at least six months, and their stay in Myanmar must not exceed 14 days.

The visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders between the two nations was signed between Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in New York earlier this month.

Vietnamese passport holders are now visa-exempt in nine ASEAN countries.

A tourist visa to Myanmar used to cost US$20 for Vietnamese residents.

UNDP project empowers disabled people

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam on October 7 launched a project to promote the rights of persons with disabilities with a total funding of 350,000 USD.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, the UNDP resident coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said Vietnam is one of the first countries to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adding the project will help create favourable conditions for organisations of the disabled to take part in the implementation of the Convention.

She spoke highly of Vietnam’s timely and significant contributions to promoting the rights of disabled people, and called on the Government and partners to better meet the group’s demands for social welfare system access.

Vietnam, US foster maritime security cooperation

The Vietnam Marine Police and the Defence Cooperation Office under the US Embassy in Vietnam on October 7 started a seminar on maritime security.

Representatives from the navy, border guard force, general customs department, relevant agencies of Vietnam as well as US experts attend the event.

The seminar aims at boosting the coordination and information exchanges between agencies in charge of maritime security in Vietnam, and support the working out of documents in service of managing the sea.

If also offers a chance for Vietnam’s relevant agencies to learn experience from US experts in the field, while strengthening their coordination and cooperation to ensure safe territorial waters in line with Vietnam’s laws and international treaties and practices.

The seminar will run until October 11.

Vietnam, Bulgaria enhance court cooperation

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on judicial cooperation between the supreme courts of Vietnam and Bulgaria was signed in Hanoi on October 7.

The MoU will help elevate the cooperation between the agencies to a higher level as a contribution to bolstering friendship between the two countries, said the two chief judges during their talks the same day.

Chief Judge of the Vietnam Supreme People’s Court Truong Hoa Binh and his Bulgarian counterpart Lasar Gruev agreed on orientations for future cooperation, including providing regular professional assistance for judges and court staff, holding workshops and professional exchanges, and experience sharing.

Chief Judge Lasar Gruev led a Bulgarian Supreme Court delegation to visit Vietnam from October 6.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA