State Vice President Doan arrives in Switzerland

A Vietnamese delegation led by State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan arrived in Switzerland on October 21 for the 13th Francophone Summit in Montreux, from October 22-24.

Immediately after her arrival, Mrs Doan paid a courtesy visit to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy to promote relations between Vietnam and the world biggest trade body.

Vice President Doan praised the WTO Chief’s role in promoting the Doha round of talks and asked him to enable Vietnam to fully implement its WTO commitments and benefit from the organisation. Mrs Doan also asked Mr Lamy to help Vietnam be represented in the WTO’s Secretariat.

Mr Lamy thanked Mrs Doan for her visit as well as Vietnam’s interest in the WTO. Joining the WTO was a huge achievement for Vietnam. The WTO is willing to provide technical assistance for Vietnam and other members of the WTO, said the WTO Chief.

He also promised to do his best to help Vietnam.

Later the same day, Mrs Doan and more than 50 members from Vietnamese business delegation heard representatives from the Vietnamese Mission to the UN and the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva reporting on the WTO’s operations related to Vietnam and the Doha round of talks, plus mechanisms for settling disputes within the WTO.

On October 22, Mrs Doan and her delegation were due to attend the Vietnam- Switzerland business forum and then travel to Montreux for the 13th Francophone Summit.

PM receives RoK gender equality minister

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on October 21 received the Minister of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Paik Hee Young in Hanoi.

Photo: VNA
PM Dung said that the RoK minister’s visit would contribute to developing an effective and practical relationship between the two nations and expressed his desire that the Vietnam-RoK strategic partnership would grow stronger in all areas.

Similarities in culture would serve as foundations to promote the bilateral cooperation in economics, trade and investment, he said.

He also welcomed the support of the ministry for Vietnamese multicultural families living in the RoK and suggested the RoK government continue to protect the legal marriages of Vietnamese brides in the country.

Minister Peik Hee Young said that the memorandum of understanding with signed by them and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the Vietnam Women Union (VWU) would serve as a basis for the two countries to constantly promote cooperation in this field in the future.

The ministry was carrying out many programmes to help Vietnamese multicultural families such as teaching Korean language, its traditions and customs. The RoK government is also making policy to prevent the commercialization of marriages and plans spend some budgets to support the lives of Vietnamese brides and their families in the country, she added.

At present, there are 90,000 Vietnamese in the RoK, of which 30,000 are Vietnamese brides, she said.

Russia, Vietnam strengthen strategic partnership

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Vietnam will strengthen and develop the traditional ties and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia as well as ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

This was stated by the Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia, Bui Dinh Dinh, at a press briefing on October 21 held by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti).

Mr Dinh briefed the participants on major events in both countries in recent times, including the Russian 65th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, Vietnam’s 65th National Day, the 35th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam, the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between both countries.

Mr Dinh emphasised that Vietnam always attaches a lot of importance to strengthening its traditional and friendship with Russia. Leaders from both countries often exchange visits to develop the friendship and strategic partnership to new heights.

Bilateral co-operation relations between the two countries have been developing rapidly in politics, economics and culture.

The two-way trade turnover between both countries increased from US$200-300 million in the 1990s to US$1.829 billion in 2009.

Filipino President to visit

President Benigno S Aquino III of the Republic of the Philippines will pay a State visit to Viet Nam next week.

The two-day visit from Tuesday comes at the invitation of President Nguyen Minh Triet.

PM welcomes head of US Foreign Relations group

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung welcomed the US Council on Foreign Relations' visiting delegation led by its Chairman Richard N Haass in Ha Noi yesterday.

Haass expressed his impressions on Viet Nam's socio-economic development and the fruitful relations between the two countries over the past few years, and congratulated the country for its chairing of ASEAN in 2010.

He said Viet Nam had the potential to further develop in the coming years, and affirmed that the US would actively contribute to accelerating the two countries' bilateral relationship, especially in economics, investment, trade and education and training.

The chairman also expressed his interest to the recent developments in the East Sea and supported maintaining peace, stability and freedom in the region in conformity with international law.

While receiving the chairman, Prime Minister Dung said the two countries had benefited from establishment of diplomatic relations over the past 15 years.

Dung lauded the chairman's role and goodwill for Viet Nam as well as welcoming the council's contributions to the promotion of the two countries' relationship, and briefed him on the country's socio-economic development.

He said Viet Nam was still a poor country, despite recording significant achievements, adding that its priority was to develop a stable economy with yearly GDP growth of between 7-8 per cent.

Dung said the country would continue advancing social equality; enhancing hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and environmental protection as well as bringing into full play the nation's democracy and maintaining political stability.

He said he hoped that the council would contribute to fostering co-operation between the two countries, by raising its voice to accelerate the implementation of preferential tax rates for Viet Nam, negotiations on bilateral investment agreements and the fulfilment of US responsibilities for the victims of Agent Orange.

Thai Nguyen urged to become modern industrial province by 2020

It is essential to turn Thai Nguyen province into a modern industrial province by 2020, said Party leader Nong Duc Manh at the 18th Congress of the provincial Party Committee (2010-2015 tenure) that opened on October 21.

Mr Manh praised the province’s efforts to reach set targets for the 2005-2010 period. Its annual GDP growth rate topped 11 percent and the proportion of poor households dropped to 11 percent, while the share of industry and services in its restructuring economy has soared.

Remarkable progress has been made in developing the Party, reinforcing the political system, and implementing the “Studying and Following President Ho Chi Minh’s Moral Example” campaign.

Mr Manh urged the provincial Party Committee and local people to exert greater effort to turn Thai Nguyen into an industrial centre of Vietnam with an average economic growth rate of 12-13 percent in the next five years and a GDP totaling  VND45 million per capita by 2015.

To reach this goal, Thai Nguyen needs to speed up economic restructuring, train human resources, develop trade services and tourism, modernize infrastructure and, boost international integration.

The provincial Party Committee should closely follow Party and State guidelines and policies to increase the quality of Party building in terms of politics, ideology, and organizational structure, Mr Manh stressed.

The congress, which runs until October 23rd, will elect the provincial Party executive committee and give opinions on documents of the 11th National Party Congress.

VNN/VOV/VNA