Vietnam-Japan announce friendship year 2013

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Vietnam strengthened the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership and boosted bilateral cooperation on politics, security and national defence.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Vietnam strengthened the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership and boosted bilateral cooperation on politics, security and national defence.

During the visit, the two Prime Ministers announced the opening of the 2013 Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and his wife paid an official visit to Vietnam on January 16-17, 2013 at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his wife. It was Abe’s first overseas trip after his election late last year and the second visit to Vietnam as the Japanese Prime Minister. His first visit to Vietnam took place in November, 2006.

During his visit to Vietnam, the Japanese Prime Minister had a talk with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung and paid courtesy visits to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Truong Tan Sang. During their meetings, both sides expressed their pleasure at the rapid and comprehensive development of cooperation and relations between the two countries over the years. The leaders also agreed about important directions and specific measures to strengthen and consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership.

The leaders agreed to continue maintaining the exchange of high-ranking delegations and dialogues at all levels, closely coordinate to effectively implement agreements reached by the two countries’ senior leaders on economic cooperation and large-scale infrastructural projects, such as the North-South Expressway, Lach Huyen Port, Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant No2 and the employment of Vietnamese nurses to work in Japan.

Vietnam highly appreciated Japan’s support to Vietnam in social development by providing official development assistance (ODA) in the last two decades and a future assistance package worth 500 million USD for three projects. Vietnam also highly appreciated Japan’s assistance in helping Vietnam build up development strategies, especially the country’s national industrialistion strategy under the Vietnam- Japan cooperation framework towards 2020 and a vision by 2030. The leaders also agreed to boost cooperation on international and regional issues of mutual concern and would closely coordinate to organize activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ASEAN- Japan Dialogue Relations.

The leaders said that all countries needed to closely cooperate and actively contribute to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region and solve rising disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law. The leaders believed that the visit to Vietnam by the Japanese Prime Minister would mark a new development stage of the Japan–Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (21/09/2073- 21/09/2013), the two Prime Ministers announced the opening of the 2013 Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year and affirmed to closely cooperate to successfully organize activities of the friendship year in each country.