VN, Cuba move to step up cultural cooperation

Vietnam wants to join with Cuba in exploring new and effective methods of cooperation to benefit their people, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said.

While receiving Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Enrique Prieto Jimenez in Hanoi on October 20, PM Dung promised to support and create favourable conditions for Vietnam’s concerned agencies to expand and boost cultural cooperation with the country.

Together with bilateral cooperation in politics, diplomacy and trade, the enhancement of cultural relations will make the two nations more close-knit, the leader said.

Jimenez said the Cuban delegation’s visit is aimed at accessing Vietnam ’s experiences in developing and preserving cultural values, thereby contributing to the building of relevant policies in Cuba.

The two sides are to sign a cultural cooperation programme for the 2011-2013 period, which will help the Cuban and Vietnamese people better understand each other’s cultures, he said.

The same day, Politburo member Truong Tan Sang received Minister Prieto Jimenez, who is also a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee.

Mr. Sang said Vietnam always stands side by side with Cuba and will do its utmost to promote the bilateral relationship.

The Party official conveyed the best regards from Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet to Cuban President Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro.

Jimenez said Vietnam’s renewal achievements have proved the Vietnamese revolution was advancing forward firmly and that its experiences were very useful to Cuba.

The minister affirmed that Cuba will spare no efforts to strengthen and the traditional and loyal relationship between the two nations.

Later in the day, Jimenez held talks with Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and tourism Hoang Tuan Anh, during which they reviewed the results of cultural cooperation in recent times and signed a cultural cooperation programme for the next three years.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides pledged to increase cultural exchanges such as art performances, exhibitions of paintings, photos and books and film screenings.

The two sides will boost the sharing of experiences in cultural management, heritage preservation and management and facilitate cooperation between labs, museums, film studios and training establishments.

Cuba also vowes to participate in international cultural events which will be held regularly in Vietnam, including the Hue Festival, the 4th International Circus Festival, the 3rd International Puppetry Festival and the 2nd International Film Festival.

Vietnam attends Francophone Summit

A Vietnamese delegation led by State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the 13th Francophone Summit in Montreux, Switzerland, from October 22-24.

The event, which is taking place on the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the International Organisation of Francophony (OIF), will focus on three major topics: the Francophone community - a factor in international relations and its position in the world; the Francophone community and sustainable development; the Francophone community and the challenges ahead.

The community now has 56 member countries and territories, along with 14 observing countries. The first Francophone summit was held in 1986 in Versailles, France, with the participation of 41 French-speaking nations.

The seventh Summit, held in Hanoi in 1997, elected Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN Secretary General, as the first Secretary General of the Francophone Community.

There are around 200 million French-speaking people in the world, 470,000 of them in Vietnam. Vietnam is an active member in the Francophone community and has positively contributed to its development.

As ASEAN Chair for 2010, Vietnam has an opportunity to create a closer link between ASEAN and the Francophone organisation.

Vietnam strengthens ties with Bulgaria

Vietnam always attaches much importance to strengthening traditional friendship and co-operative ties with Bulgaria, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan said during her five-day visit to Bulgaria.

During her stay in Bulgaria from October 17-21, Ms Doan held talks with Vice President Angel Martin, met with President Georgi Parvanov and Vice Chairman of the Parliament G. Pirinski, attended a Vietnam-Bulgaria Business Forum, visited Sofia Economic University, and met with the Vietnamese community in Bulgaria.

During meetings with Bulgarian leaders, Ms Doan expressed her delight at witnessing country’s positive changes during its process of development and integration into the Europe and the world. She thanked Bulgarian State and people for their assistance in Vietnam’s past struggle for independence and current efforts toward national construction and development.

Bulgarian leaders praised Vietnam’s achievements in the renewal process, especially since the post global financial crisis and its position and prestige in the regional and international arena. They congratulated Vietnam on successfully assuming the ASEAN chair in 2010.

They said Bulgaria wants to continue expanding co-operative relations with Vietnam, especially in politics, diplomacy, economics and trade, education and training, defence and security, labour export, and tourism.

The two sides agreed that the traditional ties of friendship and co-operation between the two countries are developing well, but that, economic, trade, and investment relations are short of their potential.

They also discussed measures to support each other in strengthening ties with EU and ASEAN.

On the occasion, Ms Doan presented Friendship Medals to Bulgarian journalist K. Catdrinnova and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association, S. Dimitrova, who have contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image and enhancing traditional friendship ties between the two countries.

Vietnam, US boost foreign relations

Vietnam will grow rapidly in the next few years, the President of the US Council on Foreign Relations, Richard N. Haass, said at a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on October 21.

Mr Haass praised Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and expressed his delight at the fine relations between the two countries in recent years. He congratulated Vietnam on its success as ASEAN president. He also expressed his concern about the recent situation in the East Sea and supported maintaining peace, stability, and maritime freedom in the East Sea in line with international laws.

PM Dung said that over the past 15 years, bilateral relations have been developing fine, bringing practical benefit to both sides. Vietnam hopes that the two sides will do their utmost to develop stronger bilateral relations. Mr Dung also applauded Mr Haass‘s contribution to boosting co-operative ties between the two countries.

PM Dung briefed his guest on major socio-economic issues in Vietnam in recent years. He said Vietnam has seen significant achievements but it is still a poor country, so over the next 10 years, the country will strive to develop its economy sustainably and rapidly with a targeted GDP growth rate of 7-8 percent. It will ensure social welfare and justice, reduce poverty, protect the environment, promote democracy, build law-governed state, ensure independence, sovereignty and socio-political stability, and implement a foreign policy of independence, self- reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation.

PM Dung expressed his hope that the council will further contribute to strengthening co-operative ties with Vietnam and ask the US to provide tariff incentives to Vietnam, not discriminate against Vietnamese products and accept responsibility for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

Vietnam to host ASEAN engineering conference

The 2010 conference of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (CAFEO 28) will be held in Hanoi from November 30 – December 4.

The announcement was made by Pham Van Tan, Secretary General of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) at a press conference in Hanoi on October 21.

This year’s conference, themed “Engineering and Technology for a Better Quality of Life in Response to Climate Change”, will attract about 700 representatives from AFEO members; engineering organisations from the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, India, Germany, and the UK; the World Federation of Engineering Organisations, the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET); and domestic and foreign businesses.

The conference will focus on five major topics: engineering and technology for construction of buildings and infrastructure; environmental engineering and technology; energy, mechanical, electrical engineering and information technology; education and training of engineers; and engineering and technology for health, safety and management.

There will also be a technical exhibition showcasing scientific and technological research and products, and a visit to several of Vietnam’s major construction companies and pretigious factories.

The event will be a platform for the delegates to exchange their experiences in applying technological advances to improve the quality of life and ensure sustainable development. It will aslo help businesses seek opportunities.

CAFEO is an annual conference held on a rotational basis with each member organisation hosting it in turn.

Party leader praises female NA deputies

The Party always attaches great importance to promoting women’s roles in the country’s modernisation and industrialisation process as well as in national defence and construction.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh emphasised this at a meeting with female National Assembly (NA) deputies on October 20.

He reaffirmed the Party’s efforts to raise women’s social status and ensure gender equality in all fields, considering it a key political task in the new era.

Mr. Manh highlighted the contributions women deputies have made to NA legislation and decisions. He said that the setting up of the Vietnam female MP group underlines their contributions to the NA operations.

Women account for nearly 26 percent of the NA deputies, much higher than the three percent in the NA’s first tenure.

The Party will make it easier for women, particularly female NA deputies, to make greater contributions to the country’s development, he said.

VNN/VOV/VNA