Vietnam has yet received information on the venue for the much-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Jun, but is confident that it is up to the task if asked.

Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Viet Nam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responds to press queries yesterday in Hanoi. 

Viet Nam Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the remark yesterday during a regular press conference held in Hanoi.

“I am confident in Viet Nam’s capacity to hold international-level events, evidenced by the successful hosting of the APEC Summit in 2017 as well as other international conferences,” Hang said, referring to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Da Nang in 2017 and the World Economic Forum on ASEAN held in Hanoi in 2018, both of which assembled several world leaders.

“The venue and the time for the US-North Korea summit would be up for the two countries to decide,” she said, adding that Viet Nam is willing and ready to make “positive contributions” to the maintenance of peace and stability and sustenance of dialogues on the Korean peninsula.

She also said there has not been information yet on whether there would be a State visit by US President Trump or North Korean leader Kim.

For weeks, foreign media has speculated Viet Nam is the preferred choice for hosting the high-profile event, but no official confirmation has been made yet.

The White House earlier said that the second summit, following the landmark one in Singapore last year, would be held in late February and that a location has been decided but gave no further details.

Venezuela upheaval

Responding to queries on the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela, Hang said Viet Nam “always wishes for peace and stability in Venezuela.”

“Viet Nam wants to promote friendly ties and multifaceted co-operation between Viet Nam and Venezuela for the benefits of the two peoples, which would contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and in the world,” Hang said.

She also added that the Vietnamese foreign ministry would consider issuing appropriate warnings to Vietnamese citizens in cases of emergencies.

Human rights guaranteed

Responding questions on the content of Việt Nam’s national report under the third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Hằng said Việt Nam has received 300 human rights-related recommendations during the dialogue session on the report held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

All of the recommendations would be studied by Việt Nam’s authorities and a report would then be delivered to the Prime Minister for review, Hằng said.

The list of accepted recommendations would be announced during the June session of the UNHRC.

“Việt Nam respects and seriously observes the universal periodic review, a successful mechanism by the UNHRC for its basis on the principles of equality, dialogues and co-operation,” she said.

Việt Nam considers this both an obligation as a UN member and an opportunity for the country to introduce to the international community its achievements, policies and efforts to ensure human rights, the spokesperson said.

Concerning the progress on the Europe-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), Hằng stressed the deal holds significant meaning and brings a great deal of benefits to both sides’ peoples and business communities.

“With this spirit, the two sides are continuing to complete the procedures to sign, ratify and implement the deal quickly,” she said. — VNS