VietNamNet Bridge - One of the highlights of the Vietnamese foreign policy in 2012 is promoting and deepening the relationships with key strategic partners, upgrading diplomatic relations with important partners, promoting substantive economic relations with other countries and regions.

President V. Putin received his Vietnamese counterpart at his compound in  the coastal city of Sochi.

After many official visits since taking office, President Truong Tan Sang chose Russia as the first destination in Europe (July 2012). The visit became the focus of the national and international media because it contained new elements, bringing the diplomatic relations between the two countries to the new page.

President V. Putin received his Vietnamese counterpart at his compound in the coastal city of Sochi. This was unprecedented in top-ranking visits between the two countries. The two leaders agreed to raise the cooperation between Vietnam and Russia to the "comprehensive strategic partnership" level.

Putin previously was the one who signed the agreement to upgrade the bilateral relations with Vietnam to the strategic partnership during his visit to Hanoi in 2001.

In 2012, he not only brought the strategic partnership with Vietnam to a higher development, he also signed the decree on "Measures to implement Russian foreign policy," which confirmed that Vietnam is one of the three most important strategic partners in the Asia-Pacific (China, India and Vietnam).

The sustainability, the depth, the nature of the relationship between the two countries is shown in the signing of a series of cooperation policies in the Far East of Russia. For the first time, President Truong Tan Sang visited the Nenets Autonomous Region and attending the ceremony to welcome the first oil flow at the West Khosedayuskove oil field of the Rusvietpetro JV.

During his official visit to Singapore mid-September, when he visited the Fusionopolis Technology Center, Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong gave a new yellow orchid species, with 5 petals, the name "Truong Lam" as a wish for Singapore’s sustainable development and prosperity.

The beautiful orchid species with the name indicating longevity can also be applied for the intentions of the development of relations between Vietnam and Singapore because during the visit, the two countries agreed to upgrade relations to strategic partnership.

In 2013, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will pay an official visit to Vietnam on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and sign the Declaration on the establishment of strategic partnership between Vietnam and Singapore, with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung. Accordingly, Vietnam and Singapore will become the first ASEAN member states that establish the strategic partnership.

Eight years after the first joint cabinet meeting, Vietnam and Thailand conducted the second joint cabinet meeting in Hanoi in late October. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra agreed to improve relations to strategic partnership in the near future.

"We see opportunities to upgrade the relations between Thailand and Vietnam to strategic partnership at the bilateral, regional and international levels, both in width and depth. Both sides agreed on the establishment of a joint committee to accomplish this goal," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in Hanoi.

The PMs of Vietnam and Thailand at the second joint cabinet meeting in Hanoi in October.

A partner in Europe - Italy - is also expected to early set up the strategic partnership with Vietnam next year, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Italy is one of the European countries that early recognized the market economy status of Vietnam. The two sides expect to achieve new development on the occasion of the official visit to Italy of Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong in early 2013.

This year, the relationship between Vietnam and the EU continued to develop, with the signing of the Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA). Realizing Vietnam’s position in the ASEAN, the EU also asked Vietnam to support the establishment of the EU-ASEAN strategic partnership.

Despite economic crisis, the number of high-level visits to Vietnam increased sharply in 2012.

A diplomat said that compared with 2011, the number of high-ranking delegations to Vietnam increased by 4 to 5 times. Many countries expressed the wish to upgrade relations with Vietnam, showing the growing role and position of Vietnam in the region and the world.

The highlight of foreign affairs in 2012, in addition to further deepen relations with other countries, especially the important partners, is also the implementation of the policy of actively integrating into the international community, valuing and promoting the role of ASEAN, closely combining with national defense and security in the struggle to defend marine sovereignty.

In 2012, Vietnam also promoted economic cooperation with many countries through signing bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Vietnam negotiated free trade agreements, such as Trans-Pacific Economic Agreement with Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Peru, Chile and the United States, bilateral FTA with the EU, South Korea, the tariff alliance agreement with Russia-Belarus Union-Kazakhstan, the European Free Trade Area (EFTA)...

So far, 34 countries have recognized the market economy status of Vietnam. Through bilateral economic diplomacy, Vietnam strongly implemented promotional activities, expanded export markets, attracted FDI, ODA and settled disputes arising in international economic relations with partners.

Linh Thu